Drug influence on visuospatial attention deficit in patients with right hemisphere media infarction

21 patients with a right MCA infarction were treated either with imipramin (n = 11) or piracetam (n = 10) and compared with 12 control patients of the same etiology. We compared their performance in visuospatial attention (vi sual scanning and neglect-test of the attention testing battery), alertness , functional independence (Functional independence Measure, FIM) and subjec tive wellbeing before and after a four weeks treatment. Age and intelligenc e were matched for the three groups. Treatments were performed in a rehabil itation hospital. All patients received an integrated physiotherapeutic, oc cupational therapeutic and neuropsychological treatment. The three groups i mproved significantly in their functional independence. The group treated w ith imipramin showed a significant increase in the alerting response and a significant better performance in visuospatial attention compared to the tw o other groups. Recent neuroscientific studies argue for a role of noradren alin in visuospatial attention and alerting tasks. Our studies shaw that a treatment of patients who suffer from a deficit in visuospatial attention a nd in alerting (i.e. patients with right MCA infarcts) with an antidepressa nt of relevant noradrenergic potency might help to endorse recovery.