Graviceptive misperception of the postural vertical after right hemisphere damage.
We have systematically studied the subjective postural vertical (SPV) and the location of the centre of gravity (COG) in right brain damaged patients, classified according to the severity of their hemispatial neglect. The results indicate that the patients lean towards the side of space where they feel aligned with their ipsilesionally displaced SPV, resulting in a ipsilesional deviation of the COG. This displacement can be reduced by the effect of contralesionally applied transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). However, in the severe neglect patients, an increasing mismatch arose between the perceived body orientation and the direction of the gravitational force. The results indicate that this conflict is compensated by a contraversive shift of the COG towards the contraversive side in order to re-align the SPV with the gravitational vertical.
Lafosse
Christophe
C
Scientific Unit Rehabilitation Centre Hof ter Schelde, August Vermeylenlaan 6, B-2050 Antwerp, LO, Belgium. christophe.lafosse@hofterschelde.be
Kerckhofs
Erik
E
Troch
Marc
M
Santens
Patrick
P
Vandenbussche
Erik
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006112:Gravitation; D018466:Gravity Sensing / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D014794:Visual Fields