From the Guidelines
There is no clear evidence that more people with right spatial neglect are left-handed. Spatial neglect, a neurological condition where patients fail to attend to stimuli on one side of space (typically the left side after right hemisphere damage), does not appear to have a strong association with handedness 1. The condition is primarily related to damage to attention networks in the brain, particularly in the right hemisphere, which is dominant for spatial attention regardless of a person's handedness. Most research indicates that spatial neglect occurs with similar frequency in both right-handed and left-handed individuals who suffer comparable brain injuries. The critical factor in developing spatial neglect is the location and extent of brain damage rather than the person's handedness. While handedness does reflect some aspects of brain organization, the neural networks responsible for spatial attention appear to be similarly organized across the population, with the right hemisphere playing a dominant role in spatial awareness for most people regardless of which hand they prefer to use.
Some key points to consider when evaluating the relationship between spatial neglect and handedness include:
- The right hemisphere's dominance in spatial attention, which is not strongly influenced by handedness 1
- The similar frequency of spatial neglect in right-handed and left-handed individuals with comparable brain injuries 1
- The importance of location and extent of brain damage in determining the development of spatial neglect, rather than handedness 1
- The lack of evidence supporting a strong association between handedness and spatial neglect, despite some studies suggesting potential correlations 1
In terms of treatment and management of spatial neglect, repeated top-down and bottom-up interventions such as prism adaptation, visual scanning training, optokinetic stimulation, virtual reality, limb activation, mental imagery, and neck vibration combined with prism adaptation may be effective in improving neglect symptoms 1. However, the relationship between handedness and spatial neglect remains unclear, and further research is needed to fully understand this complex topic.
From the Research
Spatial Neglect and Handedness
- There is no direct evidence in the provided studies to suggest that more people with right spatial neglect are lefthanded 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- The studies focus on the treatment and management of spatial neglect, its symptoms, and clinical presentation, but do not explore the relationship between spatial neglect and handedness.
- Spatial neglect is a common consequence of unilateral brain injury, most often associated with stroke, and is more severe and persistent following right hemisphere damage 6.
- The provided studies discuss various treatments for spatial neglect, including prism adaptation therapy, visual scanning, active limb activation, and sustained attention training 2, 3, 4, 5.