Thalamic neglect

Abstract

Patients (3) with right thalamic hemorrhage showed contralateral neglect and limb akinesia. They also had anosognosia, visuospatial disorders and emotional flattening. In animals, neglect can be induced by lesions along a cortico-limbic-reticular loop including the intralaminar thalamic nuclei. An activation defect is probably responsible not only for the neglect and akinesia, but also for the visuospatial and emotional defects usually associated with right-hemisphere cortical dysfunction.