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Capturing peripersonal spatial neglect: An electronic method to quantify visuospatial processes

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Abstract

Computerized as well as paper-and-pencil tasks are applied in mapping visuospatial neglect in experimental research and clinical practice. This article presents a new kind of computer-based assessment method, using an electronic pen display and user-friendly software. The approach is tailored to specific spatial processes and highlights the usefulness of a pen display in neglect patients. The advantages of the introduced method are illustrated by a recently designed battery of classic, as well as new, types of tests. The development of the appropriate stimuli and the assorted scoring systems is addressed, as well as the resulting types of task implementation and data generation. The diagnostic value of the different visuospatial neglect tests is demonstrated by comparative analyses between a neglect group and a control group. Among the benefits of the proposed assessment method are (1) the opportunity to perform standardized repeated measurements to quantify recovery, (2) online performance monitoring, (3) flexible employment, (4) the collection of exact data over a short period, and (5) the easy availability of more refined quantitative as well as interesting qualitative information, especially as compared to classic or paper-and-pencil tasks. To indicate that this method also lends itself well to measures for treatment procedures, an illustration is given with respect to specific measurements during prism adaptation. The tasks of the Visuospatial Neglect Test Battery and the prism adaptation measures are illustrated by a case study. The outlined applications are discussed with respect to experimental as well as clinical purposes.

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Notes

  1. A thin written line may be noticed in the left upper corner of all task images. It displays some information, such as the test date and patient ID. This is invisible to the patient. It is added to the images in the archive file of the researcher after task execution.

  2. That is, I CPAB can be understood as \( 100\left(\left(\frac{ hits\; left}{16}-\left(\frac{ hits\; bilateral}{16}+\frac{ errors\; left\; when\ bilateral}{16}\right)\right)-\left(\frac{ hits\; right}{16}-\left(\frac{ hits\; bilateral}{16}+\frac{ errors\; right\; when\; bilateral}{16}\right)\right)\right) \)

  3. Interested readers can obtain the software and the subtests of the Visuospatial Neglect Test Battery via the Metrisquare platform. The authors do not have any commercial interests or benefits and ask only that the present article be cited correctly when subtests are used. Questions about the subtests can be addressed to the first author (nathalie.vaes@ugent.be, nathalie.vaes@revarte.be). For quotations on the software, test credits, and tablets, an e-mail can be sent to info@metrisquare.com.

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Author note

We express our gratitude to all patients and healthy volunteers who contributed to our study. We are indebted to Wouter Van Delm for critical comments. We also thank Ben Vaessen from Metrisquare for support during our test development process. This project was funded by Grant No. G.0906.10N from the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen), Belgium. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Nathalie Vaes, Hanne Schevernels & Guy Vingerhoets

  2. Scientific Unit Rehabilitation Hospital RevArte, Antwerp, Belgium

    Nathalie Vaes, Christophe Lafosse & Lutgart Dereymaeker

  3. KU Leuven Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Christophe Lafosse

  4. Centre of Developmental Disorders, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

    Gudrun Nys

  5. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

    Kristine Oostra

  6. Department of Neurology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

    Dimitri Hemelsoet

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  1. Nathalie Vaes
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Correspondence to Nathalie Vaes.

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Vaes, N., Lafosse, C., Nys, G. et al. Capturing peripersonal spatial neglect: An electronic method to quantify visuospatial processes. Behav Res 47, 27–44 (2015). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-014-0448-0

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