preview

Hemineglect

Better Essays

Hemineglect also known as unilateral spatial neglect, hemispatial neglect, hemi-inattention, hemisensory, parietal neglect or spatial neglect (Kerkhoff, 2000), is a condition in which patients are unable to attend and respond to the contralesional side of space (Dijkerman, Webling, ter Wal, Groet, & van Zandvoort, 2003). Hemineglect is characterized by the lack of spatial awareness, most commonly on the left hemispace (Parton & Malhotra & Husain, 2004). The most common form of hemineglect, is that of patients who have right hemisphere lesions commonly found to damage the ‘where’ pathway, most commonly after a stroke. These kinds of patients tend to neglect the left hand side of space (Driver & Mattingley, 1998). Although it is not …show more content…

PA is considered to be a restitutional treatment approach as it facilitates the mechanisms of recovery. In theory its main aim is to attempt to alter the damaged function within the brain, that allow for visual attention. Prism Adaptation is a treatment introduced under the theoretical account of a representational model of hemineglect. A representational model of hemineglect is a model in which suggests that there certain brain functions that control both visual imaging and perception (Ogden, 2005). A representational model takes into account that the spatial representation of the patients’ contralesional side of space is damaged or distorted (Pouget, Sejnowski, 2001). There is damage to the way in which the patient internalizes a map of space in relation to where they are and what is around them (Tilikete, et al., 2001). The method of prism adaptation is relatively simple. Although you cannot control all the confounding variables, that underlie each individual patient, there is a standard framework of how prism adaptation occurs. A procedure for a PA treatment begins with a pre-test, to establish a baseline performance; then an active exposure to prismatic goggles to produce an adaptation in vision; and then lastly a post-test to see if there is any after adaptation persistent after using the goggles (Redding et al, 2005). An example of a PA treatment is through the works of Rossetti et al. (1998). Rossetti and his team began with a series

Get Access