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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2025

Virtual Reality Tools for Assessing Unilateral Spatial Neglect: A Novel Opportunity for Data Collection

Virtual Reality Tools for Assessing Unilateral Spatial Neglect: A Novel Opportunity for Data Collection

Published on: March 10, 2021

Left- and right-side unilateral spatial neglect: Hemispheric differences.

Laura Veronelli¹, Giuseppe Vallar²

¹Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; MiBTec, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; Department of Neurorehabilitation Sciences, Casa di Cura Igea, Milan, Italy.

Handbook of Clinical Neurology

|March 12, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Spatial neglect, a neurological syndrome, is more common and severe in humans after right brain damage than left. This asymmetry may stem from the left hemisphere

Keywords:

Anatomo-functional correlates Assessment Clinical presentation Hemispheric asymmetries Left and right neglect Neglect in human adults and children Neglect in monkeys Neglect syndrome Sensory stimulations Unilateral spatial neglect

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Neurology
Cognitive Science

Background:

Spatial neglect is a neurological disorder characterized by a failure to respond to stimuli on one side of space.
This syndrome typically arises after damage to one cerebral hemisphere, often affecting the contralateral side of space.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the phenomenon of spatial neglect, focusing on its underlying mechanisms and hemispheric asymmetries.
To explore the relationship between language and spatial processing in the human brain and its influence on neglect.

Main Methods:

Review of clinical observations and neurological findings in patients with unilateral brain damage.
Analysis of behavioral deficits and lesion locations associated with spatial neglect.

Main Results:

Left neglect following right hemisphere damage is more frequent and severe than right neglect after left hemisphere damage in humans.
This functional asymmetry is not observed in non-human primates.
Lesions in various brain regions, including the parietal lobe, temporo-parietal junction, temporal cortex, and prefrontal cortex, as well as subcortical structures, can cause neglect.

Conclusions:

The lateral asymmetry of spatial neglect in humans may be attributed to the left hemisphere's specialization for language, potentially weakening its spatial processing capabilities.
While some patients exhibit a reversal of cognitive functions, a global reversal of language and spatial cognition is rare.
Lateralized sensory stimulation offers temporary improvement for both left and right neglect.