Hemineglect is an unawareness or unresponsiveness to objects, people, and other stimuli—sometimes patients even ignore or disown their own left ...JumptonavigationSharethispageFacebookTwitterEmailPrintCommentTheBizarreDisorderofHemineglectJenniOgden,PhD,PsychologyTodayBlogRelatedContent: VisionIsOurDominantSenseIntroductiontoVisionandBrainInjuryVisionIssuesAfterBrainInjuryHemianopsiaandDriving:AreWeAskingtheRightQuestions?HomonymousHemianopsia:RightVersusLeftHemisphericInjuryHemispatialInattention(VisualNeglect)ScanningTraininginNeurologicalVisionLossVisionandRehabilitationAfterBrainTrauma(Part1)VisionandRehabilitationAfterBrainTrauma(Part2)VisionandRehabilitationAfterBrainTrauma(Part3)Morethan100yearsafteritwasfirstdescribed,hemineglect—alsoknownasunilateralspatialneglect,orunilateralinattention—isstilloneofthemostfascinatingandmysteriousoftheneuropsychologicaldisorders.IhaveassessedmanypatientswiththisstrangedisorderandIamstillamazedbytheirbehaviors.Althoughwenowknowthathemineglectcanoccurinmanyformsandastheresultofdamagetovariousbrainareas,byfarthemostcommontypeisleftvisualhemineglect,anditoccursfollowingdamagetotherightparietallobeofthebrain.IntheworstcaseIsaw,thepatientsatinherwheelchairwithherheadscrewedaroundasfartotherightaspossible,andrefusedtolookorspeaktomeifIstoodonherleftside.Shewouldeatonlythefoodofftherightsideofherplate,andsherefusedtoacknowledgethatherleftarmandlegbelongedtoher.Attheotherendoftheseverityspectrum,visualhemineglectcanonlybepickedupbyaskingthepatienttodraworcopyapicture.Theywilleitherdrawonlytherightsideofthepicture,or,iftheydrawtheleftsidewillscribblethatsideveryroughly,ormissdetails.Theillustrationshereshowafacedrawnbyapatientwithmoderatehemineglect,andbelow,acopyofascene,whereonlythetreeandthehouseontherightsideofthescenearedrawn,andeventhehouseismissingbitsofitsleftside.Thisscenetesthasbroughtforthsomeveryamusingcommentsfrommypatients.Aftertheycompletetheircopy,Ipointtothefenceinthemodeldrawing(atthetopoftheillustration)andaskthemw