Visual inattention

Question 1

Visual inattention can show up on many tests not specifically designed to assess it, such as

Answer 1

• block design
• drawing
• reading
• trail and rey-o are good

Question 2

Visual inattention usually happens because…

Answer 2

Left side after damage to R posterior parietal area; L inattention also occurs after R frontal and subcortical damage

Question 3

Does R inattention happen?

Answer 3

It can, but typically only for a bit because the left hemi is mostly contralateral

Question 4

Line bisection

Answer 4

“random” arrangement - most sensitive

“Structured” arrangement - sensitive only to more severe forms of inattention

Question 5

Cancellation tasks

Answer 5

“Random” arrangement (Bells test)

“Structured” arrangement - visual inattention test

Question 6

Tests most sensitive if

Answer 6

Long enough to produce fatigue, stimuli are meaningless and discontinuous - impaired performance can be due to visual scanning problems without inattention

Question 7

Visual attention - what causes it?

What test can you use to detect it?

Answer 7

Damage to R parietal. The object (e.g., plate of food) is still in person’s visual field (no damage to V1) but just don’t attend to it (e.g., only eat right side of food on plate)
Any test that involves random actions: line bisection and cancellation. Having pt do structured actions will not detect the inattention as well as complex/longer and random tasks.