Britta Stammler, Marian Lambert, Thomas Schuster, Kathrin Flammer, Hans-Otto Karnath
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: To capture the distortion of exploratory activity typical of patients with spatial neglect, traditional diagnostic methods and new virtual reality applications use confined workspaces that limit patients’ exploration behavior to a predefined area. Our aim was to overcome these limitations and enable the recording of patients’ biased activity in real, unconfined space. Methods: We developed the Free Exploration Test (FET) based on augmented reality technology. Using a live stream via the back camera on a tablet, patients search for a (non-existent) virtual target in their environment, while their exploration movements are recorded for 30 s. We tested 20 neglect patients and 20 healthy participants and compared the performance of the FET with traditional neglect tests. Results: In contrast to controls, neglect patients exhibited a significant rightward bias in exploratory movements. The FET had a high discriminative power (area under the curve = 0.89) and correlated positively with traditional tests of spatial neglect (Letter Cancellation, Bells Test, Copying Task, Line Bisection). An optimal cut-off point of the averaged bias of exploratory activity was at 9.0° on the right; it distinguished neglect patients from controls with 85% sensitivity. Discussion: FET offers time-efficient (execution time: ∼3 min), easy-to-apply, and gamified assessment of free exploratory activity. It supplements traditional neglect tests, providing unrestricted recording of exploration in the real, unconfined space surrounding the patient.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society is the official journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, an organization of over 4,500 international members from a variety of disciplines. The Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society welcomes original, creative, high quality research papers covering all areas of neuropsychology. The focus of articles may be primarily experimental, applied, or clinical. Contributions will broadly reflect the interest of all areas of neuropsychology, including but not limited to: development of cognitive processes, brain-behavior relationships, adult and pediatric neuropsychology, neurobehavioral syndromes (such as aphasia or apraxia), and the interfaces of neuropsychology with related areas such as behavioral neurology, neuropsychiatry, genetics, and cognitive neuroscience. Papers that utilize behavioral, neuroimaging, and electrophysiological measures are appropriate.
To assure maximum flexibility and to promote diverse mechanisms of scholarly communication, the following formats are available in addition to a Regular Research Article: Brief Communication is a shorter research article; Rapid Communication is intended for "fast breaking" new work that does not yet justify a full length article and is placed on a fast review track; Case Report is a theoretically important and unique case study; Critical Review and Short Review are thoughtful considerations of topics of importance to neuropsychology and include meta-analyses; Dialogue provides a forum for publishing two distinct positions on controversial issues in a point-counterpoint format; Special Issue and Special Section consist of several articles linked thematically; Letter to the Editor responds to recent articles published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society; and Book Review, which is considered but is no longer solicited.