HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Correspondence: Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Correspondence are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kim, M. Articles by Heilman, K. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kim, M. Articles by Heilman, K. M.

Search patterns using the line bisection test for neglect

From the Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, and the Neurology Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Gainesville, FL.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Kenneth M. Heilman, Box 100236, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610.

Background/Objective: Neglect has been attributed to sensory-attentional, motor-intentional, and representation disorders. Although patients with neglect may have defective visual exploration, the nature of this exploration deficit has not been entirely elucidated. The purpose of this study is to learn how, compared with control subjects, a patient with neglect performs visual exploration.

Methods: The line bisection test is commonly used to detect and evaluate the performance of patients with unilateral or hemispatial spatial neglect. We tested an experimental subject with left premotor-intentional neglect using an infrared eye monitoring instrument. Thirteen right-handed healthy volunteers served as control subjects. From different starting ocular positions, we assessed the direction of eye movements when the subjects initially oriented to the line, scanned the line, and then attempted to look at the center of the line.

Results: Independent of starting ocular position, normal subjects most often initially orient to the left end of the line, scan rightward, then look leftward to the center. However, the eye movements in our experimental subject with neglect were directed to the right end of the line without any scanning or leftward eye movement back to the center of the line.

Conclusion: Our subject with neglect had defective line exploration that may be attributed to a directional ocular motor intentional deficit.

Supported by the Medical Research Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Received October 21, 1996. Accepted in final form May 5, 1997.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. R. Riestra, K. B. Womack, G. P. Crucian, and K. M. Heilman Is the middle between both halves?: Midpoint location and segment size estimation in neglect Neurology, November 26, 2002; 59(10): 1580 - 1584. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]