Auditory attentional processes in stroke patients with unilateral neglect and in normal listeners [ 2004 - 2006 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof Dexter Irvine (Principal investigator) ,  Prof Jason Mattingley

Brief description A common consequence of a stroke affecting the parietal lobe of the right hemisphere of the brain is a failure to attend to stimuli presented to the left side of the patient. This disorder, called unilateral spatial neglect, affects up to 50% of all stroke sufferers, and poses a significant problem for recovery of function. Neglect has been most widely studied in the modality of vision. Although neglect of auditory stimuli and of stimuli in other modalities has been reported, it has been studied in much less detail, and the relationship between visual and auditory neglect has not been investigated using tasks of similar complexity. One aim of this project is to examine the relationship between auditory and visual neglect using tasks that are carefully matched for complexity and cognitive demands. A second aim relates to the important recent discovery that substantial changes in a visual scene can go unnoticed unless the observer's attention is drawn to them, a phenomenon termed change blindness. The project will examine the ability of normal listeners and of stroke patients to detect changes in complex auditory environments in which sounds arise from multiple sources located in different regions of space. We aim to establish whether there is a change deafness phenomenon analogous to change blindness, and if this is exacerbated in stroke patients with neglect. The results of this project will increase our understanding of the nature of normal auditory attentional processes and of their disruption as a consequence of stroke. The importance of these studies derives from the fact that hearing and attention to auditory stimuli serve a critical role in human communication and as an early warning system for events in the environment that are not within a person's visual field. Increased understanding of disturbances in auditory attention in neglect patients could lead to better rehabilitation of neglect, for which there is currently no effective treatment.

Funding Amount $AUD 281,900.00

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant