Spatial attention deficits in humans: a comparison of superior parietal and temporal-parietal junction lesions

Neuropsychology. 1998 Apr;12(2):193-207. doi: 10.1037//0894-4105.12.2.193.

Abstract

Although clinical evidence of spatial attention deficits, such as neglect and extinction, is typically associated with lesions of the right temporal-parietal junction, recent evidence has suggested an important role for the superior parietal lobe. Two groups of patients, selected for lesions at the temporal-parietal junction including the superior temporal gyrus (TPJ group), or for lesions involving the parietal but not the superior temporal region (PAR group), performed cued-target detection tasks in 2 experiments. An extinction-like response time pattern was found for the TPJ but not the PAR group. In addition, both groups were able to use expectancy information, in the form of cue predictiveness, suggesting that separate mechanisms mediate exogenous and endogenous processes during attention shifts.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Brain Damage, Chronic / pathology
  • Brain Damage, Chronic / physiopathology*
  • Cues
  • Dominance, Cerebral / physiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Orientation / physiology
  • Parietal Lobe / pathology
  • Parietal Lobe / physiopathology*
  • Perceptual Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Reaction Time
  • Space Perception / physiology*
  • Temporal Lobe / pathology
  • Temporal Lobe / physiopathology*
  • Visual Fields / physiology*
  • Volition / physiology*