The blindside: impact of monocular occlusion on spatial attention

J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2013;35(3):291-7. doi: 10.1080/13803395.2013.770824. Epub 2013 Feb 19.

Abstract

Monocular occlusion has been posited to reduce activation of the contralateral hemisphere ("Sprague effect"), thus inducing a contralateral spatial bias (toward the viewing eye). Healthy right-handed participants bisected horizontal lines during monocular eye viewing. Although subjects tended to deviate away from the viewing eye, only left-eye viewing deviated significantly right of midline. These results suggest that eye patching may induce an attentional compensation similar to that in hemianopic patients. Alternatively, increased activation of higher cortical regions mediating spatial attention in contralateral hemispace may be an adaptive response to decreased activation of its ipsilateral superior colliculus induced by contralateral eye patching.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Eye Movements / physiology
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality / physiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Space Perception / physiology*
  • Vision, Monocular / physiology*