PapersFlow Research Brief
Spatial Neglect and Hemispheric Dysfunction
Research Guide
What is Spatial Neglect and Hemispheric Dysfunction?
Spatial neglect and hemispheric dysfunction refer to neurological conditions, primarily following right-hemisphere damage, that impair the allocation of spatial attention to the contralesional side of space, often linked to disruptions in parietal-frontal attention networks.
This field encompasses 22,087 papers on the neural basis, anatomy, and recovery of spatial neglect. Research examines attention networks, visual awareness, and interventions like prism adaptation. Studies detail neuroanatomical correlates, subtypes, and functional components of unilateral and hemispatial neglect.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Parietal Lobe in Spatial Neglect
This sub-topic details neuroanatomical lesions in the inferior parietal lobule causing hemispatial neglect post-stroke. Researchers use imaging to map lesion-behavior correlations and recovery patterns.
Prism Adaptation Therapy
Investigates visuomotor adaptation with prismatic lenses to ameliorate neglect symptoms, including mechanisms and long-term efficacy. Studies compare it to other rehab like optokinetic stimulation.
Attention Networks in Neglect
Explores Posner's alerting, orienting, and executive networks' dysfunction in unilateral neglect. Researchers dissect dissociations using tasks like Posner cueing paradigm.
Unilateral Neglect Subtypes
Classifies personal, peripersonal, and representational neglect subtypes with behavioral tests like line bisection. Studies heterogeneity in symptoms and prognostic factors.
Functional Recovery Mechanisms in Neglect
Examines neural plasticity, compensatory strategies, and predictors of spontaneous recovery from spatial neglect. Researchers track longitudinal changes via fMRI and behavioral assays.
Why It Matters
Spatial neglect affects recovery in stroke patients with right-hemisphere damage, impairing daily functions such as dressing and navigation. Mesulam (1981) identified a cortical network involving parietal, frontal, and cingulate regions for directed attention, disrupted in unilateral neglect, which guides assessment and rehabilitation. Corbetta and Shulman (2002) distinguished goal-directed and stimulus-driven attention systems, informing prism adaptation therapies that realign visuospatial mapping. Posner and Petersen (1990) outlined three attention systems—alerting, orienting, and executive—explaining neglect as a failure in spatial orienting, with applications in clinical diagnostics using line bisection tasks.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
"A cortical network for directed attention and unilateral neglect" by Mesulam (1981), as it provides the foundational model of the four-region network impaired in neglect, essential for understanding core anatomy before attention mechanisms.
Key Papers Explained
Mesulam (1981) establishes the cortical network for directed attention and unilateral neglect, linking parietal-frontal regions to spatial deficits. Corbetta and Shulman (2002) build on this by specifying dorsal (goal-directed) and ventral (stimulus-driven) subsystems within that network. Posner and Petersen (1990) extend the framework with alerting, orienting, and executive systems, while Posner (1984) details orienting components like disengage and shift operations disrupted in neglect. Mesulam (1981) and Corbetta and Shulman (2002) connect via shared emphasis on parietal involvement.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Current research focuses on attention network interactions and rehabilitation like prism adaptation, per descriptions of neuroanatomical correlates and functional recovery. No recent preprints available, but foundational models from Corbetta and Shulman (2002) and Mesulam (1981) guide ongoing subtype and intervention studies.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Control of goal-directed and stimulus-driven attention in the ... | 2002 | Nature reviews. Neuros... | 12.6K | ✕ |
| 2 | The Attention System of the Human Brain | 1990 | Annual Review of Neuro... | 7.8K | ✕ |
| 3 | Specific impairments of planning | 1982 | Philosophical transact... | 3.7K | ✕ |
| 4 | The Visual Brain in Action | 2002 | The MIT Press eBooks | 3.4K | ✕ |
| 5 | How the Body Shapes the Mind | 2005 | — | 3.0K | ✕ |
| 6 | Object vision and spatial vision: two cortical pathways | 1983 | Trends in Neurosciences | 2.9K | ✕ |
| 7 | Components of visual orienting | 1984 | Attention and performance | 2.9K | ✕ |
| 8 | A cortical network for directed attention and unilateral neglect | 1981 | Annals of Neurology | 2.5K | ✕ |
| 9 | Selective Attention Gates Visual Processing in the Extrastriat... | 1985 | Science | 2.5K | ✕ |
| 10 | Selective Attention Gates Visual Processing in the Extrastriat... | 2003 | The MIT Press eBooks | 2.2K | ✕ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes unilateral neglect?
Unilateral neglect arises from damage to a cortical network modulating directed attention in extrapersonal space. Mesulam (1981) describes four regions—inferior parietal, frontal eye fields, cingulate, and pulvinar—that integrate for spatial attention. Right-hemisphere lesions most commonly produce hemispatial neglect symptoms.
How do attention networks contribute to spatial neglect?
Corbetta and Shulman (2002) differentiate dorsal frontoparietal networks for goal-directed attention and ventral networks for stimulus-driven reorienting, both disrupted in neglect. Posner and Petersen (1990) identify alerting, orienting, and executive control systems, with orienting deficits central to contralesional neglect. Posner (1984) details components of visual orienting, including disengage, shift, and engage operations impaired in neglect patients.
What are the neuroanatomical correlates of neglect?
Mesulam (1981) proposes a network of inferior parietal, frontal eye fields, supplementary motor, and cingulate areas for spatial attention modulation. Right-hemisphere dominance in this network explains prevalent left-sided neglect. Studies link parietal-frontal pathways to visual awareness deficits in hemispatial neglect.
How is spatial neglect assessed?
Tasks like line bisection and cancellation reveal contralesional deficits in neglect. Corbetta and Shulman (2002) relate these to ventral network failures in detecting salient stimuli. Posner (1984) cuing paradigms measure orienting impairments, distinguishing covert shifts affected in neglect.
What rehabilitation methods address spatial neglect?
Prism adaptation induces visuospatial realignment to improve neglect symptoms. This targets parietal-frontal pathway disruptions identified in attention network models. Functional recovery involves retraining attention systems outlined by Posner and Petersen (1990).
Open Research Questions
- ? How do interactions between dorsal and ventral attention networks precisely account for persistent contralesional deficits in chronic neglect?
- ? What anatomical subtypes of right-hemisphere lesions best predict recovery trajectories in spatial neglect?
- ? Can targeted interventions restore functional connectivity in the parietal-frontal pathway disrupted by hemispheric damage?
- ? Why does hemispheric asymmetry lead to more severe left-sided neglect despite bilateral network structures?
- ? How do dissociations between perception and visuomotor action manifest in neglect subtypes?
Recent Trends
The field maintains 22,087 works with sustained interest in attention networks and rehabilitation, as no 5-year growth rate is specified.
Core papers like Corbetta and Shulman with 12,627 citations and Posner and Petersen (1990) with 7,780 citations anchor trends in parietal-frontal pathways.
2002No recent preprints or news reported.
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