Neglekt

Abstract

There are two different treatment strategies for patients with visuo-spatial neglect: top-down treatments and bottom-up treatments. Visual-scanning training and alertness training are two top-down methods. Both treatments require active participation by the patients and show measurable effects after 15 sessions at the earliest. In contrast, bottom-up treatments need less participation on the patients' side and already show measurable effects after a few treatment sessions. The most frequently used treatments are neck muscle vibration, prism adaptation and slow pursuit eye movements. Based on current knowledge, recommendations can be provided for these methods in terms of frequency and duration of treatment sessions. So far no definite recommendations can be given regarding other stimulation treatments such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) or galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS). However, most relevant studies indicate that these methods might be suitable for augmenting other neglect therapies.