Preattentive and attentive visual search in individuals with hemispatial neglect.
Preattentive and attentive visual processing was examined in patients with hemispatial neglect, hemispatial neglect with hemianopia, and control participants. In the preattentive search task, targets possessed a unique feature that was not shared by distractors. In the attentive search task, targets lacked a feature that was present in the distractors. Preattentive search was normal in 3 neglect patients with cortical lesions but not in 2 neglect patients with hemianopia. A 4th neglect patient without hemianopia with a subcortical infarct abnormally used serial search mechanisms in the preattentive task. Neglect patients were characteristically impaired in the contralesional field in the attentive search task. This study demonstrates preserved explicit detection of visual features in cases of hemispatial neglect.
Esterman
M
M
Geriatric Neuropsychology Laboratory, Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Massachusetts 02130, USA. rmcglin@bu.edu
McGlinchey-Berroth
R
R
Milberg
W
W
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011897:Random Allocation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*