Stroke therapy to perceive half of the body

New stroke therapy to better perceive the left side of the body

09/01/2015

Scientists at the University of Saarland have developed a new therapy for stroke patients suffering from a so-called visual-spatial neglect. In the process, affected persons no longer fully perceive their left half of the body as a result of the stroke, so that, for example, they do not look to the left when crossing a street, often encounter objects with the left half of the body and neglect them in personal hygiene. The new therapy method stimulates the balance system with light surges. According to the researchers, neglect patients can thereby perceive their left half of the body better again.

Many patients no longer perceive their left side of the body as a result of the stroke
In Germany, more than 250,000 people suffer a stroke each year. Often sufferers have a lifetime to contend with the consequences. Some patients suffer from visual-spatial neglect, neglecting everything that happens in the left side of the body and the body. „In particular, patients whose right hemisphere is damaged often suffer from neglecting their left side of the body“, explains Georg Kerkhoff, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology and Head of the Neuropsychological University Outpatient Department at Saarland University. „Despite new and more effective treatments, the chances of recovery are still unfavorable.“

In order to better treat those affected, the Saarbrücken researchers developed a novel therapy method in their study, in which the balance system of patients is stimulated. For this purpose, small electrodes are placed behind the ears of those affected, are delivered over the weak electrical impulses. „There are no side effects with this procedure. The patients do not even feel the stimuli as we stimulate below the threshold of perception“, reports Stefan Reinhart, doctor of psychology in Kerkhoff's team. In other therapeutic procedures, patients often suffer from unpleasant side effects such as dizziness and nystagmus (uncontrollable, rhythmic movements of an organ, such as the eyes)..

New therapy after stroke could significantly improve the quality of life of patients
The so-called Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS) proved to be very successful in the study. In total, 24 stroke patients, about half of whom suffered from left-sided neglect, participated in the study. As part of the study, they had to solve four tasks, in particular their visual-spatial capabilities were tested. For example, attendees should sign pre-defined images of objects, search for numbers on a screen, find the center of a horizontal line, and write a short text. In order to exclude placebo effects, the tasks were completed once during the GVS treatment and once again without electrical impulses. However, the study participants did not know about the simulacrum.

„GVS effects were only seen in the impaired but not in the unaffected patient group“, the researchers report in the renowned journal „Neuropsychologia ", where they published their results. „During stimulation, participants demonstrated 30 to 50 percent better performance in different tasks compared to sham stimulation, "says Reinhart. „Patients were able to reassert their neglected left side. "In the future, neglect patients could benefit from this method in terms of their quality of life, and the researchers' findings are also of interest to scientists as they demonstrate the link between the equilibrium system and spatial attention. ag)