RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND VISUAL NEGLECT IN PATIENTS WITH UNILATERAL VASCULAR-LESIONS

This study examined the relationship between facial discrimination and visual neglect iii patients with unilateral vascular lesions. Subject s were 85 patients with right-hemisphere cerebrovascular lesions and 4 5 patients with left-hemisphere cerebrovascular lesions. All were admi nistered the Short Form of the Facial Recognition Test (FRT) (Levin, H amsher; & Benton, 1975). Results revealed that twice as many RCVA pati ents (53%) exhibited impairment on the FRT as LCVA patients (27%). In RCVA patients, a much higher percentage of impairment was seen in pati ents with left visual neglect. Among LCVA patients, about the same per centage of impairment was seen in patients with right visual neglect a s in those without neglect. WAIS-R Performance Le. correlated signific antly with FRT scores in RCVA patients suggesting a relationship betwe en facial discrimination and other perceptual and spatial abilities in this group. All other correlations between WAIS-R and FRT scores were nonsignificant. (C) 1997 National Academy of Neuropsychology.