serval:BIB_6DC4BF65AE7D
Effects of pro-cholinergic treatment in patients suffering from spatial neglect.
10.3389/fnhum.2013.00574
000324232000001
24062674
Lucas
N.
author
Saj
A.
author
Schwartz
S.
author
Ptak
R.
author
Schnider
A.
author
Thomas
C.
author
Conne
P.
author
Leroy
R.
author
Pavin
S.
author
Diserens
K.
author
Vuilleumier
P.
author
article
2013
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
1662-5161
1662-5161
journal
7
574
1-15
Spatial neglect is a neurological condition characterized by a breakdown of spatial cognition contralateral to hemispheric damage. Deficits in spatial attention toward the contralesional side are considered to be central to this syndrome. Brain lesions typically involve right fronto-parietal cortices mediating attentional functions and subcortical connections in underlying white matter. Convergent findings from neuroimaging and behavioral studies in both animals and humans suggest that the cholinergic system might also be critically implicated in selective attention by modulating cortical function via widespread projections from the basal forebrain. Here we asked whether deficits in spatial attention associated with neglect could partly result from a cholinergic deafferentation of cortical areas subserving attentional functions, and whether such disturbances could be alleviated by pro-cholinergic therapy. We examined the effect of a single-dose transdermal nicotine treatment on spatial neglect in 10 stroke patients in a double-blind placebo-controlled protocol, using a standardized battery of neglect tests. Nicotine-induced systematic improvement on cancellation tasks and facilitated orienting to single visual targets, but had no significant effect on other tests. These results support a global effect of nicotine on attention and arousal, but no effect on other spatial mechanisms impaired in neglect.
eng
60_published
true
Publication types: Journal ArticlePublication Status: epublish
University of Lausanne
mailto:serval_help@unil.ch
http://www.unil.ch/serval
http://serval.unil.ch/disclaimer
https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_6DC4BF65AE7D