Testing for neglect in right-hemispheric stroke patients using a new assessment battery based upon standardized activities of daily living

Spatial neglect is most frequently observed after right-hemispheric stroke and is characterized by a failure to report, to respond, or to orient to stimuli presented to the contralesional side. Although many neglect patients show difficulties in accomplishing activities of daily living (ADL), to date the clinical assessment of neglect is based upon neuropsychological paper-and-pencil tests. Thus, essential information about the patient's functional status may be missed out. Accordingly, we aimed at developing a new neglect test battery that incorporates standardized ADL. Six conventional paper-and-pencil neglect tests and eight standardized ADL with newly developed neglect-specific scoring criteria and cut-off scores were administered to 68 right-hemispheric stroke patients. According to the neuropsychological tests 22 patients showed symptoms suggesting neglect, whereas 17 patients showed symptoms suggesting neglect according to the newly developed neglect test based upon ADL. Neglect-specific impairments in the neuropsychological tests were significantly associated with those in the ADL-based tests, although dissociations were observed in seven patients. Neglect severity (as reflected in the percentage of positive subtests) was comparable for both test batteries and both test instruments showed high interrater reliability. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping revealed that the severity of neglect according to the neuropsychological and ADL-based tests was significantly associated with lesions within right fronto-parietal networks. We conclude that the newly developed ADL-based neglect battery provides an economic and ecologically valid tool for the assessment of neglect. The test can be used to assess and quantify neglect in everyday activities, and thus to monitor realistically rehabilitative needs of neglect patients