A case study of left visual neglect after right pontine lesion: pathophysiological evidence for the infratentorial involvement in human visual attention.

Cazzoli, Dario; Kaufmann, Brigitte C; Rühe, Henrik; Geiser, Nora; Vanbellingen, Tim; Nyffeler, Thomas (2023). A case study of left visual neglect after right pontine lesion: pathophysiological evidence for the infratentorial involvement in human visual attention. Journal of neurophysiology, 129(6), pp. 1534-1539. American Physiological Society 10.1152/jn.00123.2023

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Hemispatial neglect, the inability to attend to the contralesional side of space, is the most common disturbance of visuospatial attention. Both hemispatial neglect and visuospatial attention are typically associated with extended cortical networks. However, recent accounts challenge this so-called corticocentric view and postulate the participation of structures well beyond the telencephalic cortex, in particular advocating the role of the brainstem. However, to the best of our knowledge, hemispatial neglect after a brainstem lesion has not yet been described. We describe, for the first time in a human, the occurrence and remission of contralesional visual hemispatial neglect after a focal lesion in the right pons. Hemispatial neglect was assessed by means of video-oculography during free visual exploration, a very sensitive and established method, and its remission was followed up until three weeks after stroke. Moreover, by means of a lesion-deficit approach complemented by imaging, we identify a pathophysiological mechanism involving the disconnection of cortico-ponto-cerebellar and/or tecto-cerebellar-tectal pathways passing through the pons. Our findings offer, for the first time in a human, causal, lesion-based support for recent seminal accounts postulating the role of infratentorial structures in participating in the activity of cerebral cortical attentional networks mediating attentional processes.

Item Type:

 Journal Article (Further Contribution)

Division/Institute:

 04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Head Organs and Neurology (DKNS) > Clinic of Neurology
10 Strategic Research Centers > ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research > ARTORG Center - Gerontechnology and Rehabilitation
10 Strategic Research Centers > ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research
07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology

UniBE Contributor:

 Cazzoli, Dario, Geiser, Nora Carmen, Vanbellingen, Tim, Nyffeler, Thomas

Subjects:

 600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health
500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology
100 Philosophy > 150 Psychology

ISSN:

 0022-3077

Publisher:

 American Physiological Society

Language:

 English

Submitter:

 Pubmed Import

Date Deposited:

 25 May 2023 13:31

Last Modified:

 16 Jun 2023 00:15

Publisher DOI:

 10.1152/jn.00123.2023

PubMed ID:

 37222432

Uncontrolled Keywords:

 Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) Human Infratentorial contribution Pathophysiology Visuospatial attention

BORIS DOI:

 10.48350/182885

URI:

 https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/182885

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