Article

Beyond promising experimental results of sensory passive stimulations in
spatial cognition disorders, some questions still remain regarding interests of
these stimulations during the daily activities in neglect.
The aim of this
case-study was to evaluate the effects of a protocol combining left neck-muscle
vibration with daily simple movements, like arm pointing movements, on
perceptivo-locomotor deficits in a left spatial neglect patient.
METHODS: Two neuropsychological tests, one subjective straight-ahead pointing
(SSA) test and one wheelchair navigation test were carried out before the
combination protocol, immediately after, 1 h later, and 24 h later. RESULTS: The
results showed a reduction of neglect spatial bias following the protocol lasted
at least 24 h in all the tests (except for the SSA test due to the unavailability
of the pointing device). CONCLUSIONS: The range of improvements in the symptoms
of spatial neglect suggests that this therapeutic intervention based on the
combining neck-muscle vibration to voluntary arm movements could be a useful
treatment for this condition. One of future investigation axes should be the
development of a vibratory tool in order to facilitate the combining this
proprioceptive stimulation to daily activities. Implications for rehabilitation
Spatial neglect is a perplexing neuropsychological syndrome, affecting different
domains of spatial cognition and impacting also the functional domain. The
treatments based on neck-muscle vibration are simple to use, non-invasive and
requires none active participation of patient. A therapeutic intervention based
on the combining left neck-muscle vibration and voluntary arm movements in a
left-spatial-neglect show a lasting reduction of symptoms especially in daily
activities. The combination of treatments based on the Bottom-Up approach opens
innovative perspectives in rehabilitation.

Langue : ANGLAIS