title: Neglect following stroke: the role of sensory sensitivity in visuo-spatial performance.
abstract: Both proprioceptive and visual manipulations have led to some improvement of the spatial neglect syndrome. Until now, their effects on visuo-spatial behaviour have never been compared simultaneously. The objective of this study was to determine their influence, as a function of the presence of neglect and the side of the brain damage. 19 stroke patients with right and 14 with left brain damage, without or with neglect; realized the Bells test in 5 conditions: a reference condition and 4 sensory conditions, defined according to the side of application (contralesional vs ipsilesional) and the type of perturbation (visual vs proprioceptive). The visuo-spatial behaviour was analyzed for global and spatial aspects and for individual extreme performances. For the neglect group, the restriction of the visual field to the ipsilesional hemi-field significantly diverted the centre of exploration towards the ipsilesional side compared to all other conditions. The weighting of visual cues from the ipsilesional hemi-field seems to be increased in sensory-motor integration processes in neglect patients. In all the groups, although some improvements in performance did occur with sensory manipulation, they were dependent on the individual, particularly for neglect patients. A same performance can be achieved through the use of different sensory-motor strategies, which are individual-related. It is thus important to consider the sensory sensitivity and the responsiveness of each patient before beginning any sensory therapies.
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288 Marseille cedex 09, France. Electronic address: noemie.duclos@univ-amu.fr.
authors.forename: Noémie C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Duclos
authors.affiliation: CRF Valmante, UGECAM-PACA, 13275 Marseille cedex 09, France. Electronic address: lmaynard@ugecampacac.com.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maynard
authors.affiliation: CRF Valmante, UGECAM-PACA, 13275 Marseille cedex 09, France. Electronic address: dabbas@ugecampacac.com.
authors.forename: Djawad
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288 Marseille cedex 09, France. Electronic address: serge.mesure@univ-amu.fr.
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mesure
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D011434:Proprioception; D012677:Sensation; D065855:Spatial Processing; D020521:Stroke / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Brain damage; Individual sensitivity; Proprioception; Sensory-motor strategies; Spatial neglect; Vision