According to the IBERICTUS study recently published by the Spanish Society of Neurology, the prevalence of stroke in our country is close to 200 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and it is estimated that the figure will increase as the population ages.
One of the most striking consequences after a stroke is what is called ‘Hemineglect’ or ‘Unilateral negligence’ . This disorder occurs most frequently due to lesions in the lower parietal, superior temporal, or mid-temporal-parietal areas of the brain, generally in the right hemisphere. It is an attention problem that affects movement and mental representation, and it is not due to purely perceptual or sensory problems. Patients can have perfect eyesight and still show symptoms.
What happens to a patient with ‘Hemineglect’? Those who suffer it, usually ignore everything that happens on the opposite side to the brain injury . Most commonly, they ignore the left side due to right brain injuries. They do not attend or respond to the stimuli that appear on the neglected side, even eating only half of the plate of food. Nor can they perform actions towards that area of space or mentally represent one of the sides of things. For example, if we ask you to imagine your bedroom, you can only tell us what is on one side. In addition, it can happen even with your own body, there are cases described of patients who only used makeup on one side of their face.
The ‘One-sided neglect’ is a very disabling disorder that alters the functioning of people in their day to day . For this reason, methods continue to be sought to improve care in these patients and thus increase their chances of recovery. A recent study published by the journal Brain Injury (2013) has found that music can improve visual attention in these patients. Of course, not just any music will do. When comparing the effect of pleasant music with that of unpleasant music (both rated by each patient according to their preferences), only the former had the expected effects. Participants were more animated and alert, and also improved their performance in tests of attention such as cancellation and visual scanning, widely used to assess ‘Hemineglect’.
Marisa Fernández, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
