title: Visual neglect: is there a relationship between impaired spatial working memory and re-cancellation?
abstract: In visual search tasks, neglect patients tend to explore and repeatedly re-cancel stimuli on the ipsilesional side, as if they did not realize that they had previously examined the rightward locations favoured by their lateral bias. The aim of this study was to explore the hypothesis that a spatial working memory deficit explains these ipsilesional re-cancellation errors in neglect patients. For the first time, we evaluated spatial working memory and re-cancellation through separate and independent tasks in a group of patients with right hemisphere damage and a diagnosis of left neglect. Results showed impaired spatial working memory in neglect patients. Compared to the control group, neglect patients cancelled fewer targets and made more re-cancellations both on the left side and on the right side. The spatial working memory deficit appears to be related to re-cancellations, but only for some neglect patients. Alternative interpretations of re-exploration of space are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychology Unit, Department of Psychology, Behavior and Cognition, University of Liège, Boulevard du Rectorat, B33, 4000, Liège, Belgium, m.wansard@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Murielle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wansard
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meulemans
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gillet
authors.forename: Fermin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Segovia
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bastin
authors.forename: Monica N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Toba
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bartolomeo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D065852:Spatial Memory / Q000502:physiology*