Article

Unilateral neglect is a multifaceted disorder. Many authors have, for this
reason, speculated that the best treatment for neglect will involve combinations
of different therapeutic techniques. Two well-known interventions, neck vibration
(NV) and prism adaptation (PA), have often been considered to be among the most
effective treatments for neglect. Here, two experiments were performed to explore
possible additive benefits when these interventions are used in combination to
treat chronic neglect. Both experimental groups received NV for 20 minutes, while
the second group received simultaneous PA. The effects of treatment were measured
with a time-restricted and feedback-based visual search task, which has
previously been found to abolish the beneficial effects of PA, and with standard
neglect tests. Baseline and intervention measures were performed on separate
days. Findings for both groups indicated improved visual search following
intervention, but the patients that underwent the combined intervention (NVPA)
showed clear improvements on visual search paper and pencil neglect tests unlike
the NV-only group. Overall, our results suggest that PA strengthens the effects
of NV and that feedback-based tasks do not abolish the beneficial effects of PA,
when NV is applied simultaneously. The results support the view that the most
effective treatment for neglect will involve the combination of different treatments.

Langue : ANGLAIS