Treatment of neglect, an attention disorder
Ten Brink, A.F.; Nijboer, T.C.W.; Visser-Meily, J.M.A.
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde 160: D393
2016
ISSN/ISBN: 1876-8784 PMID: 27966401 Document Number: 686797
- Neglect occurs in 30-50% of patients in the subacute phase post-stroke. Patients with neglect ignore one side of their body or one part of the space around them. - Treatment of neglect is important, as patients with neglect recover more slowly and are less independent compared to patients without neglect.- Visual scanning training is currently recommended in the guidelines as a treatment. The focus of this intensive treatment is on compensation, not on recovery. Scientific evidence for its effectiveness is scarce. - Other treatments, such as prism adaptation, limb activation training and brain stimulation are being investigated. However, the available evidence for their effectiveness is insufficient as yet. - In addition to neuropsychological tests, outcome measures at the level of functioning in daily life should be included in studies regarding the treatment of neglect.- New research is increasingly focusing on combining different treatments, which should ultimately be adapted for each patient individually.