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Spatial neglect is associated with increased latencies of visual evoked potentials

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

Donatella Spinelli
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Roma, Via dei Marsi 78, Rome, Italy Clinica S. Lucia, Rome, Italy
David C. Burr
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Roma, Via dei Marsi 78, Rome, Italy Istituto di Neurofisiologia del CNR, Pisa, Italy
M. Concetta Morrone
Affiliation:
Istituto di Neurofisiologia del CNR, Pisa, Italy Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy

Abstract

We have recorded steady-state visual evoked potentials (VEPs) from patients with vascular damage to their right brain hemispheres, some suffering from unilateral spatial neglect (n = 9), and some not (n = 7). VEPs were recorded in response to sinusoidal gratings of 0.56 cycle/deg contrast-reversed sinusoidally at temporal frequencies from 4–11 Hz. Stimuli were presented either to the left or to the right visual field, or to both. Confirming previous reports, reliable VEPs were recorded from stimuli in the left contralesional hemifield, of comparable amplitude to those of the ipsilesional hemifield and to those of both hemifields of brain damaged patients without neglect. However, analysis of apparent latency derived from phase data showed that the VEPs from the contralesional hemifield were systematically delayed by 30–40 ms compared with those of the ipsilesional hemifield, and compared with both hemifields of the nonneglect groups. This result suggests changes in neural processing in neglect patients.

Type
Research Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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