Treating Perceptual Organization Deficits in Nonneglecting RBD Stroke Patients*

Thirty-five right brain-damaged (RBD) stroke patients, enrolled in active rehabilitation programs, participated in this study. Patients were selected on the basis of their evidenced deficits in performing complex visuo-cognitive tasks and the absence of overt evidence of unilateral visual-spatial neglect. Seventeen of the 35 patients were randomly chosen to receive a training program (lasting approximately 1 month) designed to establish a systematic strategy of organizing complex visual material. The remaining 18 patients were re-examined after 1 month, and served as controls. The design of the treatment program was based on the hypothesis that nonneglecting RBD patients fail to appreciate and synthesize elements of complex visual material due to a breakdown in compensation for a persistent lateral bias in visual-spatial attention. Upon posttesting, it was found that those patients who received training exhibited significantly improved performance, as compared to controls, on a subgroup of visuo-cognitive tasks. These results are discussed in terms of: (1) offering indirect support for the argument that pathological asymmetries in attention play a significant role in the failure of RBD patients on many visuo-cognitive tasks; and, (2) offering a basis for extending the treatment of perceptual problems in RBD patients.