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Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation... 2021Unilateral spatial neglect (USN), an inability to attend to one side of space or one's body, is commonly reported in adult stroke survivors and is associated with poor...
PURPOSE
Unilateral spatial neglect (USN), an inability to attend to one side of space or one's body, is commonly reported in adult stroke survivors and is associated with poor outcomes. USN has been reported in pediatric survivors of stroke, but its impact is unclear. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize and evaluate the literature regarding USN in pediatric stroke survivors.
METHODS
PRISMA guidelines, Scopus, CINAHL, PubMed, and other relevant databases were searched with terms including "children", "stroke", and "unilateral neglect", with the ages of participants limited from to birth to 18 years. Data were extracted from studies on the clinical presentation of pediatric USN, the assessment of this condition, treatment options, or USN recovery.
RESULTS
A total of 18 articles met inclusion criteria. There were no current prevalence data available. USN presents similarly in children compared to adults. Several different USN assessments were used, however, there were little data regarding treatment options. Furthermore, the data suggest that not all children fully recover.
CONCLUSION
This systematic review reveals a lack of quality research to inform the assessment and treatment of children with USN. Although the literature spans decades, there remain no guidelines for standardized assessment or treatment. Similar to adults, paper-and-pencil testing may be less able to identify USN than functional assessments. It is likely that there are children who struggle with undetected USN-related deficits years after their injuries. With a rise of pediatric stroke survivors, there is a pressing need for clinicians to be educated about USN in children, clinical presentations, assessments, and treatments.
Topics: Adult; Child; Humans; Perceptual Disorders; Stroke; Stroke Rehabilitation
PubMed: 34459422
DOI: 10.3233/PRM-200779 -
Neuropsychology Review Mar 2016The aim of this systematic review was to integrate and assess evidence for the effectiveness of multisensory stimulation (i.e., stimulating at least two of the following... (Review)
Review
The aim of this systematic review was to integrate and assess evidence for the effectiveness of multisensory stimulation (i.e., stimulating at least two of the following sensory systems: visual, auditory, and somatosensory) as a possible rehabilitation method after stroke. Evidence was considered with a focus on low-level, perceptual (visual, auditory and somatosensory deficits), as well as higher-level, cognitive, sensory deficits. We referred to the electronic databases Scopus and PubMed to search for articles that were published before May 2015. Studies were included which evaluated the effects of multisensory stimulation on patients with low- or higher-level sensory deficits caused by stroke. Twenty-one studies were included in this review and the quality of these studies was assessed (based on eight elements: randomization, inclusion of control patient group, blinding of participants, blinding of researchers, follow-up, group size, reporting effect sizes, and reporting time post-stroke). Twenty of the twenty-one included studies demonstrate beneficial effects on low- and/or higher-level sensory deficits after stroke. Notwithstanding these beneficial effects, the quality of the studies is insufficient for valid conclusion that multisensory stimulation can be successfully applied as an effective intervention. A valuable and necessary next step would be to set up well-designed randomized controlled trials to examine the effectiveness of multisensory stimulation as an intervention for low- and/or higher-level sensory deficits after stroke. Finally, we consider the potential mechanisms of multisensory stimulation for rehabilitation to guide this future research.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Brain; Cognition Disorders; Humans; Perceptual Disorders; Photic Stimulation; Physical Stimulation; Sensation Disorders; Stroke Rehabilitation; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 26490254
DOI: 10.1007/s11065-015-9301-1 -
Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.) Jun 2015Neurologists have generally paid relatively little attention to social behavior and its disorders. As a result, many individuals with suspected brain disorders primarily... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Neurologists have generally paid relatively little attention to social behavior and its disorders. As a result, many individuals with suspected brain disorders primarily involving changes in social behavior have sought evaluations by psychiatrists or psychologists. This review summarizes recent findings from the growing field of social neuroscience and illustrates the relevance of this knowledge for the neurologist by reviewing contemporary research on frontotemporal dementia and its differential diagnosis.
RECENT FINDINGS
An explosion of research over the past 10 to 15 years has illuminated specific psychological processes involved in core facets of social behavior and their neural bases. In parallel, knowledge of the genetics, neurobiology, neuroimaging features, and clinical phenomenology of frontotemporal dementia has grown dramatically.
SUMMARY
As the understanding of specific component processes involved in social behavior and their neural underpinnings deepen, neurologists may lead the way in using this knowledge to provide sophisticated evaluation and monitoring for patients with disorders of social behavior and ultimately may develop new therapeutic options to treat these brain disorders.
Topics: Adult; Brain; Cognition Disorders; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Perceptual Disorders; Social Behavior Disorders; Theory of Mind
PubMed: 26039847
DOI: 10.1212/01.CON.0000466659.05156.1d -
Neurology Jan 2022Hemispatial neglect is a heterogeneous and complex disorder that can be classified by frame of reference for "left" vs "right," including viewer-centered neglect (VCN,...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Hemispatial neglect is a heterogeneous and complex disorder that can be classified by frame of reference for "left" vs "right," including viewer-centered neglect (VCN, affecting the contralesional side of the view), stimulus-centered neglect (SCN, affecting the contralesional side of the stimulus, irrespective of its location with respect to the viewer), or both. We investigated the effect of acute stroke lesions on the connectivity of neural networks that underlie VCN or SCN.
METHODS
A total of 174 patients within 48 hours of acute right hemispheric infarct underwent a detailed hemispatial neglect assessment that included oral reading, scene copy, line cancellation, gap detection, horizontal line bisection tests, and MRI. Each patient's connectivity map was generated. We performed a linear association analysis between network connectivity strength and continuous measures of neglect to identify lesion-induced disconnections associated with the presence or severity of VCN and SCN. Results were corrected for multiple comparisons.
RESULTS
About 42% of the participants with right hemisphere stroke had at least one type of neglect. The presence of any type of neglect was associated with lesions to tracts connecting the right inferior parietal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and right thalamus to other right-hemispheric structures. VCN only was strongly associated with tracts connecting the right putamen to other brain regions and tracts connecting right frontal regions with other brain regions. The presence of both types of neglect was most strongly associated with tracts connecting the right inferior and superior parietal cortex to other brain regions and those connecting left or right mesial temporal cortex to other brain regions.
DISCUSSION
Our study provides new evidence for the specific white matter tracts where disruption can cause hemispatial neglect in a relatively large number of participants and homogeneous time after onset. We obtained MRI and behavioral testing acutely, before the opportunity for rehabilitation or substantial recovery.
CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE
This study provides Class II evidence that damage to specific white matter tracts identified on MRI are associated with the presence of neglect following right hemispheric stroke.
Topics: Brain; Connectome; Functional Laterality; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neuropsychological Tests; Parietal Lobe; Perceptual Disorders; Stroke
PubMed: 35263271
DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000013050 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jun 2016Many aspects of our perceptual experience are dominated by the fact that our two eyes point forward. Whilst the location of our eyes leaves the environment behind our...
Many aspects of our perceptual experience are dominated by the fact that our two eyes point forward. Whilst the location of our eyes leaves the environment behind our head inaccessible to vision, co-ordinated use of our two eyes gives us direct access to the three-dimensional structure of the scene in front of us, through the mechanism of stereoscopic vision. Scientific understanding of the different brain regions involved in stereoscopic vision and three-dimensional spatial cognition is changing rapidly, with consequent influences on fields as diverse as clinical practice in ophthalmology and the technology of virtual reality devices.This article is part of the themed issue 'Vision in our three-dimensional world'.
Topics: Animals; Depth Perception; Humans; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Perceptual Disorders; Vision, Ocular; Visual Perception
PubMed: 27269595
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0251 -
European Journal of Human Genetics :... May 2017Congenital amusia (commonly known as tone deafness) is a lifelong musical disorder that affects 4% of the population according to a single estimate based on a single...
Congenital amusia (commonly known as tone deafness) is a lifelong musical disorder that affects 4% of the population according to a single estimate based on a single test from 1980. Here we present the first large-based measure of prevalence with a sample of 20 000 participants, which does not rely on self-referral. On the basis of three objective tests and a questionnaire, we show that (a) the prevalence of congenital amusia is only 1.5%, with slightly more females than males, unlike other developmental disorders where males often predominate; (b) self-disclosure is a reliable index of congenital amusia, which suggests that congenital amusia is hereditary, with 46% first-degree relatives similarly affected; (c) the deficit is not attenuated by musical training and (d) it emerges in relative isolation from other cognitive disorder, except for spatial orientation problems. Hence, we suggest that congenital amusia is likely to result from genetic variations that affect musical abilities specifically.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Auditory Perceptual Disorders; Female; Genetic Variation; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prevalence; Sex Factors
PubMed: 28224991
DOI: 10.1038/ejhg.2017.15 -
Stroke May 2015
Review
Topics: Auditory Perception; Cognitive Science; Humans; Language; Neuronal Plasticity; Perceptual Disorders; Stroke Rehabilitation
PubMed: 25804923
DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.115.007435 -
Psychological Medicine Oct 2014Both language and music are thought to have evolved from a musical protolanguage that communicated social information, including emotion. Individuals with perceptual...
BACKGROUND
Both language and music are thought to have evolved from a musical protolanguage that communicated social information, including emotion. Individuals with perceptual music disorders (amusia) show deficits in auditory emotion recognition (AER). Although auditory perceptual deficits have been studied in schizophrenia, their relationship with musical/protolinguistic competence has not previously been assessed.
METHOD
Musical ability was assessed in 31 schizophrenia/schizo-affective patients and 44 healthy controls using the Montreal Battery for Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA). AER was assessed using a novel battery in which actors provided portrayals of five separate emotions. The Disorganization factor of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used as a proxy for language/thought disorder and the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) was used to assess cognition.
RESULTS
Highly significant deficits were seen between patients and controls across auditory tasks (p < 0.001). Moreover, significant differences were seen in AER between the amusia and intact music-perceiving groups, which remained significant after controlling for group status and education. Correlations with AER were specific to the melody domain, and correlations between protolanguage (melody domain) and language were independent of overall cognition.
DISCUSSION
This is the first study to document a specific relationship between amusia, AER and thought disorder, suggesting a shared linguistic/protolinguistic impairment. Once amusia was considered, other cognitive factors were no longer significant predictors of AER, suggesting that musical ability in general and melodic discrimination ability in particular may be crucial targets for treatment development and cognitive remediation in schizophrenia.
Topics: Adult; Auditory Perceptual Disorders; Emotions; Female; Humans; Language; Male; Middle Aged; Music; Schizophrenia; Social Perception
PubMed: 25066878
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291714000373 -
Current Opinion in Neurology Jun 2024Visual snow syndrome (VSS) is a disorder characterized by persistent visual disturbances, including the visual snow phenomenon, palinopsia, heightened perception of... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Visual snow syndrome (VSS) is a disorder characterized by persistent visual disturbances, including the visual snow phenomenon, palinopsia, heightened perception of entoptic phenomena, impaired night vision, and photophobia. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on recent findings over the past 18 months in VSS research and to summarize the current state of treatment approaches.
RECENT FINDINGS
Electrophysiological studies have revealed cortical hyperresponsivity in visual brain areas, imaging studies demonstrated microstructural and functional connectivity alterations in multiple cortical and thalamic regions and investigated glutamatergic and serotoninergic neurotransmission. These findings suggest that VSS might be a network disorder.Only few treatment studies are currently available demonstrating limited response to medication and even worsening or triggering of visual symptoms by certain antidepressants. Promising nonpharmacological treatments include mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, the use of chromatic filters, and research on visual noise adaption and neuro-optometric visual rehabilitation therapy (NORT). However, the level of evidence is still low and further research is needed including larger trials and involving objective measures of individual dysfunction.
SUMMARY
Although there has been recent progress, we still have not fully understood the nature of VSS. Further research is needed on a clinical and pathophysiological level to successfully treat the condition.
Topics: Humans; Vision Disorders; Syndrome; Perceptual Disorders
PubMed: 38465699
DOI: 10.1097/WCO.0000000000001258 -
European Journal of Pain (London,... Jan 2016Prism adaptation (PA) is a non-invasive procedure in which participants perform a visuo-motor pointing task while wearing prism goggles inducing a lateral displacement... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Prism adaptation (PA) is a non-invasive procedure in which participants perform a visuo-motor pointing task while wearing prism goggles inducing a lateral displacement of the visual field and a mismatch between the seen and felt position of the pointing hand. PA is thought to induce a reorganization of sensorimotor coordination, and has been used successfully to rehabilitate neglect following right-hemisphere lesions. Because studies have shown that complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is associated with neglect-like symptoms, it was proposed that PA could be used to alleviate pain in these patients.
DATABASE
A search for peer-reviewed articles on neglect-like symptoms in CRPS and on the use of prisms in CRPS was conducted using the PubMed database.
RESULTS
There is still no agreement as to whether CRPS patients really present neglect symptoms and, if they do, what it is that they neglect. Furthermore, there is insufficient data to determine whether PA exerts an effect on CRPS symptoms. Finally, it remains unknown whether neglect can be observed in other types of lateralized pain, or whether PA could be useful for these patients.
CONCLUSION
By highlighting open issues, our review provides guidelines for future studies on the use of prisms in pain. The assessment of neglect in patients with CRPS as well as other types of lateralized chronic pain should be characterized using a combination of neuropsychological methods assessing the multiple aspects of neglect in a more refined manner. In addition, further studies should investigate the mechanisms through which PA may modulate pain.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Chronic Pain; Complex Regional Pain Syndromes; Humans; Perceptual Disorders
PubMed: 26095341
DOI: 10.1002/ejp.723