ID 395 – Effect of transcranial direct stimulation on pseudo-neglect in healthy subjects: Results of a pilot study

Background Subdominant hemispheric lesion results neglect syndrome, where the processing of the visual information coming from the contralateral side is damaged. A similar phenomenon is known in healthy subjects, called pseudo-neglect. In line bisection task there is a tendency to pay more attention to the left side of space. Method We involved 29 healthy subjects. Landmark task was used in a forced choice paradigm to determine the preferred space side. Then cathodal transcranial direct–current stimulation was used in the right region of posterior–parietal cortex. Landmark task was repeated. Fierro score was used to describe the precise choices and the reaction time was calculated. Results 67% of the subjects showed left pseudo-neglect, 22% showed right pseudo-neglect and in 11% pseudo-neglect was not detected. After the stimulation the number of the incorrect choices was increased ( p p p Conclusion Parietal lobe has a crucial role in spatial attention. It can be measured by neurocognitive tests that might serve as a test for the early detection of cognitive impairment. Key message Cathodal stimulation of the parietal lobe can induce a neglect-like symptom.