Object-centred neglect: simulation with head-centred coding based on Gaussian gaze-dependent units

Neuropsychologia. 2007 Jun 18;45(11):2553-60. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.03.012. Epub 2007 Mar 23.

Abstract

Right brain damaged patients affected by contralesional object-centred neglect are able to process all objects around them but systematically omit the left part of these objects. We show that pure object-centred neglect can be simulated by a basis function neural network in which the activity of units allowing head-centred coding of space is based on the activity of gaze-dependent units with no lateral gradient of preferred eye positions along the horizontal space. This type of network simulates complete dissociation between object-centred and egocentric neglect, as observed in patients' copies of multi-item drawings. Based on these results and available neurophysiological, clinical and brain imaging data, it is proposed that disruption of a cerebral network including dorsal occipital and parietal areas and the supplementary eye fields could be the main cause of object-centred neglect.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Cerebral Cortex / physiopathology
  • Computer Simulation*
  • Fixation, Ocular / physiology*
  • Form Perception*
  • Humans
  • Models, Neurological*
  • Neural Networks, Computer*
  • Normal Distribution
  • Perceptual Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Visual Pathways / physiopathology