Hemineglect:Right-LeftBrainFunctionAfteraStrokeHenryHoffmanMonday,April29th,2019Thebrainconsistsoftwodistincthalves,knownastherightandlefthemispheres.Eachhemisphereisresponsiblefordifferenttasks,includingphysicallycontrollingthesideofthebodyoppositeit.Whenonehemisphereisdamagedbyastroke,thebrainmaybecomeunabletoprocessorperceivewhatisoccurringinandaroundtheoppositesideofthebody.Inseverecases,strokepatientsmaybeunawarethattheiroppositesideevenexistsandignoreitcompletely.Thiscondition,knownashemineglect(alsounilateralneglect,hemispatialneglect,orspatialneglect).Hemineglectismostprominentandlastslongerwhenastrokedamagestherightsideofthebrain.However,damagemayalsooccurontheleftsideofthebrain,resultinginhemineglectontherightsideofthebody.Asamatterofcourse,medicalprofessionalsteststrokepatientstodeterminewhethertheyaresufferingfromhemineglect.WhatIsHemineglect?Hemineglectischaracterizedbyreducedawarenessofstimuliononesideofthebodyorinthespaceitinhabits,eventhoughtheremaybenosensoryloss.Itmayincludetheinabilitytoprocessorperceiveobjects,people,andotherstimuli.Sometimes,patientsevenignoreordisowntheirlimbsontheaffectedside.Expertsbelievehemineglectoccursonlywhenspecificareasofthebrainaredamagedbyastroke.Forexample,theparietallobeintherighthemisphereofthebrainisinvolvedwithawarenessofthespaceonbothsidesofthebody,whiletheleftparietallobeonlygovernstherightside.Whentherightparietallobeisdamaged,itcannolongerattendtotheleftorrightsideofthebodyorthespaceitinhabits,butanintactleftparietallobecanstillattendtotherightside.That’swhytheleftsideofthebodyismostoftenimpactedbyhemineglect.Patientswhosufferfromhemineglectmayhavesomedegreeofparalysis,butlimbweaknessisnotthecauseofthecondition.Manypeoplewithparalyzedlimbsremainawareofbothsidesoftheirbodiesandthesurroundingspace.However,thosewhosufferfromhemineglectoftenappeartohaveincreasedlimbweaknessaswell.HowIsHemineglectDiagnosed?Generally,therightsideofthebraincoordinatestasksconnectedwithcreativityandthearts,suchasspatialreasoning,mus