Effects of an HMD-based Attention System on Head and Eye Movement Strategies of Patients with Spatial Neglect

Abstract Background Spatial neglect is a visual cognitive impairment that causes patients to ignore the space on the contralateral side of the lesion. Here, we confirmed neglect symptoms using spatial differences, investigated the influence of the attention system, and investigated head and eye movements in patients with spatial neglect using a head-mounted display (HMD). Methods We recruited eight participants who had a stroke with right-sided lesions (left-sided neglect) and evaluated their neglect symptoms using the Behavioral Inattention Test and Catherine Bergego Scale Test. Participants performed a cube cancellation task in near and far space, using both an HMD-based normal condition and an attention system. Results In near space, no significant differences were observed in the cancellation task performance, but a significant difference was detected in gaze distribution, and a positive correlation was detected in the head and eye movement angles. In far space, a significant difference in the cancellation task performance and gaze distribution, along with a positive correlation among the head and eye movement angles, were observed. Conclusions These findings do not significantly refute the results of the cancellation task, but they do suggest that the attentional system may positively influence spatial neglect in terms of head and eye movement strategies.