Role of rehabilitation in hemineglect syndromes.

Unilateral neglect syndrome compromises functionnal outcome of left hemipar etic patients. Treatment of this syndrome is a challenge in motor rehabilit ation in order to reduce the incapacity and improve the prognosis. in this study, we present a review of the literature focusing on the different reah ibilitation techniques proposed and their theorical basis: improvement of t he ability to maintain attention, improvement of spatial selective attentio n by implicit or explicit cueing, reduction of rightward orienting bias by sensory manipulations. Recently we reported the improvement of symptoms of unilateral neglect syndrome after a prism adaptation to a rightward optical deviation. Unlike previous physiological manipulations used to improve neg lect, this improvement lasted for at least two hours after prism removal. T hese results are most promising for rehabilitation programs. They may be li nked to a stimulation of a short-term plasticity of brain functions and und erline the interest of action in rehabilitation of neglect.