Psycho-motor skills in hemiplegic patients: reaction time differences related to hemispheric lesion side.
Psychomotor performances are frequently impaired in patients with cerebral lesion. The locus of lesion seems to play an important role: patients with right hemispheric lesion (RHL) frequently show a more important impairment in reaction to external stimuli than patients with left hemispheric lesion (LRH). The aim of this work was to study simple and choice visual reaction times in 2 groups of hemiplegic patients, with different hemispheric lesion side. Results confirm that patients with RHL have significantly more prolonged reaction times. No differences were found in a time we called choice time, related to "central delay" confirming that the more important psychomotor performances deficit in RHL patients is mainly related to impairment of attention, alertness, arousal systems.
Buonocore
M
M
Service of Clinical Neurophysiology, Medical Center of Montescano, IRCCS, Pavia, Italy.
Casale
R
R
Arrigo
A
A
D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time