title: Effector-dependent neglect and splenial disconnection: a spherical deconvolution tractography study.
abstract: We present the case of a patient with left homonymous hemianopia and chronic left neglect consequent to a stroke in the occipito-temporal regions of the right hemisphere. When the patient performed cancellation tasks with her right (dominant) hand, she had severe and persistent left neglect at retest 7 and 8 years after onset. However, her performance on line bisection was invariably within normal limits. Strikingly, performance on cancellation tests reverted to normal when the patient used her left hand. White matter tractography using spherical deconvolution demonstrated damage to the splenium of the corpus callosum, as well as a relative preservation of the right fronto-parietal network. Effector-dependent neglect may occur because splenial disconnection deprives the right fronto-parietal network from visual information processed by the left hemisphere. Consequently, spatial exploration reverts to normal when the patient uses her left hand, thus involving more directly the fronto-parietal attentional networks in the right-hemisphere.
authors.affiliation: Inserm UMR_S 1028, CNRS UMR 5292, ImpAct, Centre des Neurosciences de Lyon, Université Lyon-1, 16, Avenue Lépine, 69676, Bron, France, marine.lunven@hotmail.fr.
authors.forename: Marine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lunven
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thiebaut De Schotten
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Glize
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Migliaccio
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jacquin-Courtois
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cotton
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bartolomeo
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rode
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000503:physiopathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006423:Hemianopsia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*