Citation

Ogourtsova T, Archambault PS, Lamontagne A. Neuropsychol. Rehabil. 2018; ePub(ePub): 1-26.

Affiliation

Feil-Oberfeld Research Centre , Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital, Site of Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal , Laval , Quebec , Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/09602011.2018.1454328

PMID

29614914

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Unilateral spatial neglect (USN), a highly prevalent and disabling post-stroke deficit, severely affects functional mobility. Visual perceptual abilities (VPAs) are essential in activities involving mobility. However, whether and to what extent post-stroke USN affects VPAs and how they contribute to mobility impairments remains unclear.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the extent to which VPAs in left and right visual hemispaces are (1) affected in post-stroke USN; and (2) contribute to goal-directed locomotion.

METHODS: Individuals with (USN+, n = 15) and without (USN-, n = 15) post-stroke USN and healthy controls (HC, n = 15) completed (1) psychophysical evaluation of contrast sensitivity, optic flow direction and coherence, and shape discrimination; and (2) goal-directed locomotion tasks.

RESULTS: Higher discrimination thresholds were found for all VPAs in the USN+ group compared to USN- and HC groups (p < 0.05). Psychophysical tests showed high sensitivity in detecting deficits in individuals with a history of USN or with no USN on traditional assessments, and were found to be significantly correlated with goal-directed locomotor impairments.

CONCLUSION: Deficits in VPAs may account for the functional difficulties experienced by individuals with post-stroke USN. Psychophysical tests used in the present study offer important advantages and can be implemented to enhance USN diagnostics and rehabilitation.

Language: en

Keywords

Cerebrovascular accident; Contrast sensitivity; Hemineglect; Optic flow; Shape discrimination; Visual perception