Hemispatial Neglect: Clinic, Pathogenesis, and Treatment

Hemispatial neglect is characterized by a failure of awareness on the side of space and body opposite the site of injury, has been extensively studied for its theoretical interest in revealing brain mechanisms of awareness and attention. More recently, it has become apparent that hemispatial neglect reflects not only damage of specific anatomical regions, but also the large-scale dysfunction of networks of brain regions specialized in attention, motor, and multimodal sensory processing. Finally, although previous studies showed that the symptoms of hemispatial neglect could be effectively, albeit transiently, improved by a variety of behavioral, pharmacological, and physical interventions, only recently have treatment studies begun to show long-lasting therapeutic effects. Future advances will require the integration of advanced brain imaging methods to identify abnormal brain circuitries and-in combination with sensory, cognitive, and neural stimulation-methods to modulate activity in those circuitries.