title: Contraversive neglect? A modulation of visuospatial neglect in association with contraversive pushing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Contraversive pushing (CP) is a neurologic disorder characterized by a lateral postural imbalance. Pusher patients actively push toward their contralesional side due to a misperception of the body's orientation in relation to gravity. Although not every patient with CP suffers from spatial neglect (SN), both phenomena are highly correlated in right-hemispheric patients. The present study investigates whether peripersonal visuospatial functioning differs in neglect patients with versus without CP (NP+ vs. NP- patients).
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen right-hemispheric stroke patients with SN were included, of which 17 in a double-blind case-control study and 1 single case with posterior pushing to supplement the discourse. A computer-based visuospatial navigation task, in which lateralized deviation can freely emerge, was used to quantify visuospatial behavior. In addition, visuospatial orienting was monitored using line bisection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant intergroup differences were found. The NP+ patients demonstrated a smaller ipsilesional navigational deviation and more cross-over (contralesional instead of ipsilesional deviation) in long line bisection. As such, they demonstrated a contraversive (contralesionally directed) shift in comparison with the NP- patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings highlight the similarity between 2 systems of space representation. They are consistent with a coherence between the neural processing system that mainly provides for postural control, and the one responsible for nonpredominantly postural, visuospatial behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vaes
authors.affiliation: Scientific Unit, Rehabilitation Hospital RevArte.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lafosse
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Ghent University Hospital.
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hemelsoet
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurorehabilitation, Rehabilitation Hospital RevArte.
authors.forename: Els
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van Tichelt
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Ghent University Hospital.
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oostra
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vingerhoets
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D065854:Spatial Navigation / Q000502:physiology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*