Visuomotor Imagery for Neglect Rehabilitation

A group based in Heidelberg, Germany, has performed a pilot study using imagery of the neglected arm to treat visuospatial neglect.  They trained 15 patients for an hour a day for 3 weeks, and found that imagining using the neglected arm improved copying/ drawing tasks and enhanced sensation in the arm.

Follow this link to the PubMed abstract.

Citation: Disabil Rehabil. 2011;33(21-22):2033-2043. Epub 2011 Feb 24.

UK Stroke Forum 2011

The UK Stroke Forum runs from 29 November to 1 December 2011 (see www.ukstrokeforum.org).  Look out for the following session on vision after stroke:

1 December
09.00 – 10.30 Parallel session 3(e)
Alsh Room
Vision and Stroke Workshop
Chairs: Tracey Shipman (Royal Hallamshire Hospital) and Dr Fiona Rowe (Senior Lecturer, University of Liverpool).
Visual perception defects following stroke
Deborah Parkinson (Teaching Lead and Stroke Specialist Orthoptist, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust).
Visual Problems and Driving
Professor Christine Dickinson (Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester).
Recovery from Post-Stroke Visual Impairment: Evidence from a Clinical Trials Resource
Dr Myzoon Ali (CSO Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Glasgow Caledonian University).

Amercian Heart Association "Million Hearts Initiative"

The AHA has just published its intention to prevent a million strokes and heart attacks over the next 5 years. They say "Effective community CVD prevention interventions have been underutilized due to a lack of a coordinated national effort". This initiative is aimed at changing that. Click Here to visit the related AHA Science News page.

Prisms for hemianopia

Here is a video posted on YouTube by Chadwick Optical, makers of prisms stuck onto glasses to treat hemianopia. These prisms bring part of the blind visual field into the seeing field. They were developed by Eli Peli, Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. He describes how it works in this paper. Like most hemianopia rehabilitation strategies this method has not been clearly proven in a clinical trial, but there is some supporting scientific evidence.

There are a couple more videos on Chadwick Optical's YouTube channel here.

Interact Reading Service

A short video about the UK Guardian Charity Award winning reading service for stroke patients, Interact Reading Service.

Guardian Charity Award 2009-InterAct Reading Service from InterAct Reading Service on Vimeo.

Self-help for one-side neglect

This short article from the American Stroke Association gives advice about how to help people with neglect following stroke to adapt to their difficulties.

Click here to read the article

ReadRight rehabilitation for hemianopic alexia

Click for a 3 minute YouTube video about ReadRight web-based rehabilitation for hemianopic alexia (from University College London and the UK Stroke Association).