Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Jacinta O'Shea from the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences explains how stimulation of the brains of stroke patients can cause long-lasting improvements.

The patient was asked to distribute flowers equally around the garden. They are all clumped to the right, showing dramatic neglect of left space.

Every year thousands of people are left with debilitating symptoms after stroke. Perhaps one of the most striking is known as hemispatial neglect. This is when right-sided brain damage causes people to behave as though the left half of the world does not exist.

This problem arises when damage to the right parietal cortex disrupts the connections linking visual areas at the back of the brain with motor systems towards the front. The damage leaves the stroke survivor unable to voluntarily direct attention towards, and act on, visual objects in the space to their left.

Hemispatial neglect is very common, affecting many patients in the early months after stroke. Most recover over time, but about one-third do not, and suffer neglect as a lasting disabling condition.

Read more (University of Oxford website)