Pure representational neglect after right thalamic lesion

Ann Neurol. 2001 Sep;50(3):401-4. doi: 10.1002/ana.1139.

Abstract

After a right thalamic stroke, an 86-year-old man presented an acute pure left representational neglect in the absence of any perceptual neglect. On spatial mental imagery tasks, the patient systematically omitted items located on his left side, but only when a vantage point was given. This suggests that (1) pure representational neglect is not just a residual finding after recovery from global (perceptual and representational) neglect; (2) space representation can be coded by two independent processes: in viewer-centered or world-based (allocentric) coordinates; and (3) the right thalamus serves as a relay in the processing of spatial visual imagery.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cerebral Infarction / pathology
  • Functional Laterality*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Perceptual Disorders / pathology*
  • Perceptual Disorders / psychology
  • Thalamus / pathology*