scholarly journals The Role of Binocular Vision in Driving Pseudoneglect in Visual and Haptic Bisection: Evidence From Strabismic and Monocular Blind Individuals

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 549-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Ciricugno ◽  
Luca Rinaldi ◽  
Tomaso Vecchi ◽  
Lotfi B. Merabet ◽  
Zaira Cattaneo
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Binocular Vision ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Line Bisection ◽  
Haptic Modality ◽  
Hemisphere Dominance ◽  
The Right ◽  
Blind Individuals ◽  
Line Bisection Task

Abstract Prior studies have shown that strabismic amblyopes do not exhibit pseudoneglect in visual line bisection, suggesting that the right-hemisphere dominance in the control of spatial attention may depend on a normally developing binocular vision. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether an abnormal binocular childhood experience also affects spatial attention in the haptic modality, thus reflecting a supramodal effect. To this aim, we compared the performance of normally sighted, strabismic and early monocular blind participants in a visual and a haptic line bisection task. In visual line bisection, strabismic individuals tended to err to the right of the veridical midpoint, in contrast with normally sighted participants who showed pseudoneglect. Monocular blind participants exhibited high variability in their visual performance, with a tendency to bisect toward the direction of the functioning eye. In turn, in haptic bisection, all participants consistently erred towards the left of the veridical midpoint. Taken together, our findings support the view that pseudoneglect in the visual and haptic modality relies on different functional and neural mechanisms.

Spatial biases in deaf, blind, and deafblind individuals as revealed by a haptic line bisection task

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (11) ◽  
pp. 2325-2333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaira Cattaneo ◽  
Luca Rinaldi ◽  
Carlo Geraci ◽  
Carlo Cecchetto ◽  
Costanza Papagno
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Line Bisection ◽  
Bilateral Control ◽  
Auditory Deprivation ◽  
Directional Bias ◽  
Bisection Task ◽  
The Right ◽  
And Control ◽  
Line Bisection Task

In this study, we investigated whether auditory deprivation leads to a more balanced bilateral control of spatial attention in the haptic space. We tested four groups of participants: early deaf, early blind, deafblind, and control (normally hearing and sighted) participants. Using a haptic line bisection task, we found that while normally hearing individuals (even when blind) showed a significant tendency to bisect to the left of the veridical midpoint (i.e., pseudoneglect), deaf individuals did not show any significant directional bias. This was the case of both deaf signers and non-signers, in line with prior findings obtained using a visual line bisection task. Interestingly, deafblind individuals also erred significantly to the left, resembling the pattern of early blind and control participants. Overall, these data critically suggest that deafness induces changes in the hemispheric asymmetry subtending the orientation of spatial attention also in the haptic modality. Moreover, our findings indicate that what counterbalances the right-hemisphere dominance in the control of spatial attention is not the lack of auditory input per se, nor sign language use, but rather the heavier reliance on visual experience induced by early auditory deprivation.

scholarly journals No Evidence of Perceptual Pseudoneglect in Alexithymia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 376
Author(s):  
Carmelo Mario Vicario ◽  
Gabriella Martino ◽  
Alex Marcuzzo ◽  
Giuseppe Craparo
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Line Bisection ◽  
Mental Condition ◽  
Bisection Task ◽  
Rightward Shift ◽  
Behavioral Evidence ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Right ◽  
Line Bisection Task ◽  
Tas 20

Neuroscience research links alexithymia, the difficulty in identifying and describing feelings and emotions, with left hemisphere dominance and/or right hemisphere deficit. To provide behavioral evidence for this neuroscientific hypothesis, we explored the relationship between alexithymia and performance in a line bisection task, a standard method for evaluating visuospatial processing in relation to right hemisphere functioning. We enrolled 222 healthy participants who completed a version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), which measures alexithymia, and were asked to mark (bisect) the center of a 10-cm horizontal segment. The results document a significant rightward shift in the center of the line in participants with borderline and manifest alexithymia compared with non-alexithymic individuals. The higher the TAS-20 score, the greater the rightward shift in the line bisection task. This finding supports the right hemisphere deficit hypothesis in alexithymia and suggests that visuospatial abnormalities may be an important component of this mental condition.

Lateralization of Language

2019 ◽  
pp. 876-906
Author(s):  
Lise Van der Haegen ◽  
Qing Cai
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Speech Processing ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Hemispheric Specialization ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Language Impaired ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Hemisphere Dominance ◽  
The Right

It is intriguing that the two brain halves of the human brain look so similar, but are in fact quite different at the anatomical level, and even more so at the functional level. In particular, the highly frequent co-occurrence of right-handedness and left hemisphere dominance of language has led to an abundance of laterality research. This chapter discusses the most important recent finding on laterality (i.e., left or right hemisphere) and degree of hemispheric specialization for speech production, auditory speech processing, and reading. Following a descriptive overview of these three core sub-processes of language, the chapter summarizes possible influences on the lateralization of each, including anatomical, evolutionary, genetic, developmental, and experiential factors, as well as handedness and impairment. It will become clear that language is a heterogeneous cognitive function driven by a variety of underpinning origins. Next, the often-underestimated role of the right hemisphere for language is discussed with respect to prosody and metaphor comprehension, as well as individual differences in the lateralization of healthy and language-impaired brains. Finally, recent insights into the relationship between lateralized language and non-language functions are discussed, highlighting the unique contribution of lateralization research to the growing knowledge of general human brain mechanisms.

scholarly journals Hemispheric antagonism in visuo-spatial neglect: A case study

1996 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 412-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Marshall ◽  
Peter W. Halligan
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Line Bisection ◽  
Spatial Neglect ◽  
Perceptual Task ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
The Right ◽  
Line Bisection Task

AbstractWe report a case of severe visuo-spatial neglect consequent upon right-hemisphere stroke. At the time of testing, the patient had no visual field cut and no significant hemiparesis. Conventional testing on cancellation tasks with the right hand revealed reliable left neglect, but performance was significantly improved when the left hand was used. Investigations of (manual) line bisection showed normal performance with the right hand but right neglect when the left hand was used. Right neglect was also observed on a purely perceptual version of the line bisection task. We argue that the attentional vectors of the cerebral hemispheres can be modulated by (perceptual) task-demands and by (motorie) response demands. (JINS, 1996, 2, 412–418.)

Neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric perspectives on maternal cradling preferences

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 170-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jechil S. Sieratzki ◽  
Bencie Woll
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Communication Behaviour ◽  
Social Attachment ◽  
Left Handed ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Hemisphere Dominance ◽  
The Right ◽  
Mother’S Voice

SUMMARYObjective – To assess competing explanations for the universal preference of mothers to cradle infants on their left side and to propose a relation to hemispheric asymmetry for social attachment and communication behaviour. Methods – A review of observational, experimental, physiological, psychological, neuro-physiological, and neuro-psychological studies, including new findings on the cradling behaviour of mothers with auditory or visual impairments. Results – A significant left-cradling bias is observed in both right- and left-handed mothers which cannot adequately be explained by arguments based on handedness or closer contact to the soothing sound of the maternal heartbeat. Observations of primate behaviour have led to the suggestion that the left-cradling bias may be related to a left visual field (right hemisphere) advantage for monitoring an infant's facial expressions of distress. However, more than just monitoring, cradling subserves the mother's connection with the infant. For that reason, we have suggested that left cradling might be related to a right hemisphere specialisation for emotional communication, i.e. the speech melody, smiles, signals, and stroking which mothers use to interact with their infants. Studies of mother-infant interaction show that the sound of the mother's voice is more soothing when cradling on the left, more stimulating when cradling on the right. Cradling laterality may thus be related to emotional state and behavioural intent. There is also evidence to suggest that left cradling is linked to a special role of the right hemisphere in social attachment behaviour. This function may be disturbed in mothers with postnatal depression who show abnormal right hemisphere activity. Conclusion – Cradling embodies the symbiotic relationship between mother and infant; various lines of evidence support the suggestion that the universal preference of mothers to cradle infants on their left side is related to a right hemisphere dominance for social attachment and communication behaviour.

scholarly journals No Evidence of Perceptual Pseudoneglect in Alexithymia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmelo Mario Vicario ◽  
Gabriella Martino ◽  
Alex Marcuzzo ◽  
Giuseppe Craparo
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Line Bisection ◽  
Line Center ◽  
Bisection Task ◽  
Rightward Shift ◽  
The Right ◽  
Line Bisection Task ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Healthy Participants ◽  
Tas 20

The research in neuroscience links alexithymia, the difficulty of identifying and describing feelings and emotions, with a left hemisphere preference and/or a right hemisphere deficit. To provide a neuropsychological support to this finding, we explored the relationship between alexithymia and the performance in a line bisection task, a standard method to evaluate spatial attention in relation with the functioning of the right hemisphere. 222 healthy participants completed a version of the TAS-20 scale, which measures alexithymia, and were asked to mark (bisect) the center of a 10 cm horizontal segment. The results document a significant rightward shift of the line center in borderline and manifest alexithymic participants, as compared to non-alexithymic individuals. Moreover, the higher the TAS-20 score the greater the rightward shift in the line bisection task. This result supports the right-hemisphere deficit hypothesis in alexithymia and suggests that visuospatial abnormalities may be an inner component of their profile.

scholarly journals The Right Hemisphere Is Responsible for the Greatest Differences in Human Brain Response to High-Arousing Emotional versus Neutral Stimuli: A MEG Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 960
Author(s):  
Mina Kheirkhah ◽  
Philipp Baumbach ◽  
Lutz Leistritz ◽  
Otto W. Witte ◽  
Martin Walter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Brain Response ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
The Right ◽  
Healthy Participants

Studies investigating human brain response to emotional stimuli—particularly high-arousing versus neutral stimuli—have obtained inconsistent results. The present study was the first to combine magnetoencephalography (MEG) with the bootstrapping method to examine the whole brain and identify the cortical regions involved in this differential response. Seventeen healthy participants (11 females, aged 19 to 33 years; mean age, 26.9 years) were presented with high-arousing emotional (pleasant and unpleasant) and neutral pictures, and their brain responses were measured using MEG. When random resampling bootstrapping was performed for each participant, the greatest differences between high-arousing emotional and neutral stimuli during M300 (270–320 ms) were found to occur in the right temporo-parietal region. This finding was observed in response to both pleasant and unpleasant stimuli. The results, which may be more robust than previous studies because of bootstrapping and examination of the whole brain, reinforce the essential role of the right hemisphere in emotion processing.

The role of the right hemisphere in processing negative sentences in context

1986 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina D'Urso ◽  
Gianfranco Denes ◽  
Stefano Testa ◽  
Carlo Semenza
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
The Right

scholarly journals A Meta-Analysis of Line Bisection and Landmark Task Performance in Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemma Learmonth ◽  
Marietta Papadatou-Pastou
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Line Length ◽  
Line Bisection ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Bisection Task ◽  
Leftward Bias ◽  
State Dependent ◽  
The Right ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Line Bisection Task

AbstractYoung adults exhibit a small asymmetry of visuospatial attention that favours the left side of space relative to the right (pseudoneglect). However, it remains unclear whether this leftward bias is maintained, eliminated or shifted rightward in older age. Here we present two meta-analyses that aimed to identify whether adults aged ≥50 years old display a group-level spatial attention bias, as indexed by the line bisection and the landmark tasks. A total of 69 datasets from 65 studies, involving 1654 participants, were analysed. In the meta-analysis of the line bisection task (n = 63), no bias was identified for studies where the mean age was ≥50, but there was a clear leftward bias in a subset where all individual participants were aged ≥50. There was no moderating effect of the participant’s age or sex, line length, line position, nor the presence of left or right cues. There was a small publication bias in favour of reporting rightward biases. Of note, biases were slightly more leftward in studies where participants had been recruited as part of a stand-alone older group, compared to studies where participants were recruited as controls for a clinical study. Similarly, no spatial bias was observed in the meta-analysis of the landmark task, although the number of studies included was small (n = 6). Overall, these results indicate that over 50s maintain a group-level leftward bias on the line bisection task, but more studies are needed to determine whether this bias can be modulated by stimulus- or state-dependent factors.

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