Leftward motion restores number space in neglect

In the present study, a group of patients with left-sided neglect performed a number comparison task that co-occurred either with coherent motion in different directions or with random motion. Their performance was compared to that of a healthy control group and to a group of patients with right hemisphere damage (RHD) but no signs of neglect. The presence of leftward motion alleviated the difficulties that neglect patients typically show for a number smaller than the reference number 5 (i.e., number 4). Moreover, the standard distance effect was only present when the task co-occurred with leftward motion. These effects were not present in a group of participants with RHD without neglect or in a control group. The present data extend the effects of optokinetic stimulation (OKS) to representational neglect, suggesting that an external redirection of attention by the perception of motion may restore the altered access to the representation of the mental number line in neglect.