Transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the neck muscles and hemineglect rehabilitation

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Pizzamiglio, L.^; | Vallar, G.^; | Magnotti, L.

Affiliations: Department of Psychology, University of Roma ‘La Sapienza’, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy | IRCCS, S. Lucia, Rome, Italy

Note: [] Corresponding author.

Abstract: In four patients with left visuo-spatial hemineglect and right brain- damage, the therapeutic effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nervous Stimulation (TENS) of the left neck muscles, associated with a non-specific treatment, and of a specific rehabilitation paradigm were investigated. The two treatments were given for an 8-week period each. TENS had positive effects on hemineglect in two out of four patients, whereas the specific treatment produced a major improvement of the disorder in all four cases. The suggestion is made that an effective treatment of neglect requires a paradigm comprising a range of visuo-spatial exploratory tasks of increasing complexity and a systematic feedback as to the success of the patients' performance. This is the case of the specific treatment. By contrast a procedure confined to a sensory stimulation, which produces a short-term improvement in the range of minutes, does not have comparable long-term effects. © 1996 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Keywords: Spatial hemineglect, Rehabilitation, Transcutaneous electrical nervous stimulation, Neck muscle stimulation, Egocentric spatial representation, Sprague effect

DOI: 10.3233/RNN-1996-10402

Journal: Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 197-203, 1996