Chikako Yoneda, MD, DMSc, Eiichi Saitoh, MD, DMSc, Megumi Suzuki, OTR, Masayuki
Yamada, OTR
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 2: 1-4, 2011
Objective: Prism adaptation therapy is one of the
treatment methods for unilateral spatial neglect (USN).
In this study, we examined the infl uence of prism
deviations toward the right and toward the left. We
also studied the additional effects of hand movements
as performance adaptation to prisms.
Methods: Patients with left USN caused by stroke
were split into 2 groups on the basis of whether or not
they performed adaptation movements. In all the
patients, prisms deviating the visual fi eld 10° to the
right and to the left were used, and the adaptation task
consisted of right index fi nger movements to reach 3
targets on a desk, 50 times each. During the movements,
hand trajectories were visible. In the group in which
adaptation movements were not performed, the
participants wore the prisms for 20 minutes. A line
bisection test using a 50-cm tape was used to evaluate
the USN before and after treatment.
Results: The use of left-deviating prisms resulted in
worsening of the USN in the group in which adaptation
movements were performed (p=0.01). In this group,
the point of bisection showed a tendency to move
toward the left (p=0.29) when right-deviating prisms
were used.
Conclusions: The results indicated that adaptation
treatment using right-deviating prisms might be
effective for USN, even when the trajectory of the
movements is visible.
Key words: left unilateral spatial neglect, prism adaptation therapy, prism deviation, reaching movements