PERCEPTION OF HORIZONTAL DISTANCES IN PATIENTS WITH SPATIAL NEGLECT

Two different models have argued that neglect of contralateral stimuli following brain damage might be associated with either a compressed o r an anisometric neural representation of space along the earth-horizo ntal axis. We tested these models by determining neglect patients' per ception of spatial distances in the horizontal plane. We found no evid ence for any compression or expansion or for anisometry along the eart h-horizontal axis. The findings argue against a distortion of subjecti ve space along the horizontal axis in patients with neglect, which cou ld account for their failure to orient towards and to explore the cont ralesional parts of space.