A fronto parietal network for spatial Awareness

old_uid11810
titleA fronto parietal network for spatial Awareness
start_date2012/11/13
schedule12h-13h30
onlineno
summaryLooking for a friend in the crowd or avoiding a sudden danger are two actions based on the quality of our visuo-spatial attention. Behavioural tests and brain imaging technology demonstrated that visuo-spatial attention is a specialized function of the right hemisphere of the brain. However, anatomical features supporting this specialization have remained elusive. We scanned volunteers with a novel brain imaging technology that can depict the white matter connections, and we measured the degree of specialization of the right hemisphere for visuo-spatial attention with behavioural tests. Exploring the brain circuits, we found white matter connections whose size predicts the degree of specialization of the right hemisphere for visuo-spatial attention. Whilst a damage of this connection in the right hemisphere can predict chronicity of the visuospatial deficits, the lateralisation of this same connection may be predictive of visuo-spatial recovery.
responsiblesSackur