Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Abnormal temporal dynamics of visual attention in spatial neglect patients

Abstract

WHEN we identify a visual object such as a word or letter, our ability to detect a second object is impaired if it appears within 400ms of the first1–5. This phenomenon has been termed the attentional blink or dwell time and is a measure of our ability to allocate attention over time (temporal attention). Patients with unilateral visual neglect are unaware of people or objects con-tralateral to their lesion6,7. They are considered to have a disorder of attending to a particular location in space (spatial attention)6–11. Here we examined the non-spatial temporal dynamics of attention in patients, using a protocol for assessing the attentional blink. Neglect patients with right parietal, frontal or basal ganglia strokes had an abnormally severe and protracted attentional blink. When they identified a letter, their awareness of a subsequent letter was significantly diminished for a length of time that was three times as long as for individuals without neglect. Our results demonstrate for the first time that visual neglect is a disorder of directing attention in time, as well as space.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Broadbent, D. E. & Broadbent, M. H. P. Percept. Psychophys. 42, 105–113 (1987).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Raymond, J. E., Shapiro, K. L & Arnell, K. M. J. exp. Psychol., hum. Percept. Perform. 18, 849–860 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Shapiro, K. L., Raymond, J. E. & Arnell, K. M. J. exp. Psychol, hum. Percept. Perform. 20, 357–371 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Duncan, J., Ward, R. & Shapiro, K. Nature 369, 313–315 (1994).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Shapiro, K. L. & Raymond, J. E. in Inhibitory Processes in Attention, Memory, and Language (eds Dagenbach, D. & Carr, T.) 151–188 (Academic, New York, 1994).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Robertson, I. H. & Marshall, J. C. (eds) Unilateral Neglect: Clinical and Experimental Studies (Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ, 1993).

  7. Jeannerod, M. (ed.) Neurophysiological and Neuropsychological Aspects of Spatial Neglect (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1987).

  8. Kinsbourne, M. Trans. Am. Neurol. Assoc. 95, 143–145 (1970).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Posner, M. I., Walker, J. A., Friedrich, F. J. & Rafal, R. D. J. Neurosci. 4, 1863–1874 (1984).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Posner, M. I., Walker, J. A., Friedrich, F. A. & Rafal, R. D. Neuropsychologia 25, 135–145 (1987).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Morrow, L. A. & Ratcliff, G. Psychobiology 16, 261–269 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Stone, S. P., Patel, P. & Greenwood, R. J. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiat. 56, 463–466 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Fullerton, K. J., Mackenzie, G. & Stout, R. W. Q. J. Med. 250, 147–162 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Damasio, H. & Damasio A. R. Lesion Analysis in Neuropsychology (Oxford University Press, New York, 1989).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Vallar, G. & Perani, D. Neuropsychologia 24, 609–622 (1986).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Heilman, K. M., Watson, R. T. & Valenstein, E. in Localization and Neuroimaging in Neuropsychology (ed. Kertesz, A.) 495–524 (Academic, San Diego, 1994).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Husain, M. & Kennard, C. J. Neurol. 243, 652–657 (1996).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Jackson, S. & Husain, M. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. (in the press).

  19. Mesulam, M.-M. Principles of Behavioural Neurology. Tests of Directed Attention and Memory (Davis, Philadelphia, 1985).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Treisman, A. & Gelade, G. Cogn. Psychol. 12, 97–136 (1980).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Treisman, A. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 6, 171–178 (1996).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Duncan, J. & Humphreys, G. W. Psychol. Rev. 96, 433–458 (1989).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Friedman-Hill, S. R., Robertson, L. C. & Treisman, A. Science 269, 853–855 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Corbetta, M., Shulman, G. L., Miezin, F. M. & Petersen, S. E. Science 270, 802–805 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Richer, F. & Lepage, M. Neuropsychologia 34, 509–514 (1996).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Riddoch, M. J. & Humphreys, G. W. Neuropsychologia 21, 589–599 (1983).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Bálint, R. Orvosi Hetilap, 209–236 (1907).

  28. Husain, M. & Stein, J. Arch. Neurol. 45, 89–93 (1988).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Humphreys, G. W., Romani, C., Olson, A., Riccoch, M. J. & Duncan, J. Nature 372, 357–359 (1994).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Husain, M., Shapiro, K., Martin, J. et al. Abnormal temporal dynamics of visual attention in spatial neglect patients. Nature 385, 154–156 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/385154a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/385154a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing