Abstract
Based on a 'Theory of Visual Attention' (TVA), whole and partial report of brief letter arrays is presented as a diagnostic tool to estimate four clinically significant attentional components: perceptual processing speed, visual working memory storage capacity, efficiency of top-down control, and spatial distribution of attention. The procedure used was short enough to be applicable within a standard clinical setting. Two brain-damaged patients, selected based on lesion location and neuropsychological test profile, were compared to a control group of 22 healthy subjects. One patient with a right inferior parietal lesion showed a pattern of non-spatially and spatially lateralized attention deficits that is typically found in neglect patients. Results from the second patient supported the decisive role of superior frontal brain structures for top-down control of visual attention. This double dissociation supports the hypothesis that, even with a short version of whole and partial report, valid and meaningful results can be obtained in the neuropsychological assessment of attention deficits. The potential and constraints of TVA-based parameter estimation for the clinical application are discussed.
| Bidragets oversatte titel | evidence from two patients with frontal or parietal damage |
|---|---|
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
| Tidsskrift | Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society |
| Vol/bind | 11 |
| Udgave nummer | 7 |
| Sider (fra-til) | 843-54 |
| Antal sider | 12 |
| ISSN | 1355-6177 |
| DOI | |
| Status | Udgivet - 2005 |