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Biased postural vertical in humans with hemispheric cerebral lesions
D A Pérennou1, B Amblard, C Leblond
1Département de Médecine Physique et Réadaptation du C.H.U. de Nîmes, Unité de Rééducation Neurologique, Centre Médical 30240, Le Grau du Roi, France. perenn@iurc1.iurc.montp.inserm.fr
Neuroscience Letters
|October 2, 1998
Summary
Patients with recent cerebral lesions exhibit a biased postural vertical, tilting away from the lesion side. This bias, linked to spatial neglect, improved with neck stimulation, suggesting altered spatial processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Physiology
- Clinical Neurology
Background:
- Cerebral lesions can disrupt sensory processing and motor control.
- Postural vertical perception is crucial for maintaining balance.
- Spatial neglect and hemianaethesia are common sequelae of cerebral lesions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and characteristics of a biased postural vertical in patients with recent cerebral lesions.
- To correlate postural vertical bias with the severity of spatial neglect and hemianaethesia.
- To explore the potential of transcutaneous electrical stimulation to modulate postural vertical bias.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of postural vertical using a self-regulated balancing task in a sitting posture.
- Assessment of patients with recent cerebral lesions and healthy controls.
- Application of transcutaneous electrical stimulation to the contralesional side of the neck.
Main Results:
- A consistent contralesional tilt of the postural vertical was observed in most patients (19/22) with a mean deviation of -2.6 degrees.
- Eight patients exhibited a pathological contralesional bias (-5.5 degrees) compared to controls.
- Transcutaneous electrical stimulation improved body verticality, particularly in patients with pathological bias.
Conclusions:
- Recent cerebral lesions can induce an asymmetric processing of somatic graviceptive information, leading to a biased postural vertical.
- The degree of postural vertical bias correlates with the severity of spatial neglect and hemianaethesia.
- Neck stimulation may offer a therapeutic approach to correct distorted spatial information processing in these patients.