Biomaterial Database

Do neck-proprioceptive and caloric-vestibular stimulation influence covert visual attention in normals, as they influence visual neglect? 2001

C Rorden, and H O Karnath, and J Driver

School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK. chris.rorden@nottingham.ac.uk

Neck-proprioceptive and caloric-vestibular stimulation have been shown to ameliorate the spatial bias exhibited by patients suffering from unilateral visual neglect. These interventions might in principle have their effect by biasing covert attention towards the neglected side. If so, the same interventions should also modulate covert attention in neurologically-intact subjects. However, we demonstrate here that neither neck-proprioception (vibration of left neck muscles) nor caloric-vestibular stimulation (injection of iced water into the left ear) affect covert visual attention in healthy individuals. These results from normals may distinguish between different accounts for unilateral neglect in patients. In particular, they argue against explanations of neglect solely in terms of a pathological misperception of body orientation within an otherwise normal neural representation of space.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D009333	Neck	The part of a human or animal body connecting the HEAD to the rest of the body.	Necks
D010468	Perceptual Disorders	Cognitive disorders characterized by an impaired ability to perceive the nature of objects or concepts through use of the sense organs. These include spatial neglect syndromes, where an individual does not attend to visual, auditory, or sensory stimuli presented from one side of the body.	Hemispatial Neglect,Hemisensory Neglect,Sensory Neglect,Somatosensory Discrimination Disorder,Discrimination Disorder, Somatosensory,Discrimination Disorders, Somatosensory,Hemisensory Neglects,Hemispatial Neglects,Neglect, Hemisensory,Neglect, Hemispatial,Neglect, Sensory,Neglects, Hemisensory,Perceptual Disorder,Sensory Neglects,Somatosensory Discrimination Disorders
D011187	Posture	The position or physical attitude of the body.	Postures
D011434	Proprioception	Sensory functions that transduce stimuli received by proprioceptive receptors in joints, tendons, muscles, and the INNER EAR into neural impulses to be transmitted to the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. Proprioception provides sense of stationary positions and movements of one's body parts, and is important in maintaining KINESTHESIA and POSTURAL BALANCE.	Labyrinthine Sense,Position Sense,Posture Sense,Sense of Equilibrium,Vestibular Sense,Sense of Position,Equilibrium Sense,Sense, Labyrinthine,Sense, Position,Sense, Posture,Sense, Vestibular
D002150	Caloric Tests	Elicitation of a rotatory nystagmus by stimulating the semicircular canals with water or air which is above or below body temperature. In warm caloric stimulation a rotatory nystagmus is developed toward the side of the stimulated ear; in cold, away from the stimulated side. Absence of nystagmus indicates the labyrinth is not functioning.	Barany Test,Barany's Test,Baranys Test,Caloric Test,Test, Barany,Test, Barany's,Test, Caloric,Tests, Caloric
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D001288	Attention	Focusing on certain aspects of current experience to the exclusion of others. It is the act of heeding or taking notice or concentrating.	Focus of Attention,Selective Attention,Social Attention,Attention Focus,Attention, Selective,Attention, Social,Selective Attentions