Spatial Neglect

by Ian H. Robertson, Peter W. Halligan

Spatial neglect is a profound clinical problem as well as intriguing scientific problem. In the last ten years, there has been an explosion of interest in this disorder, which as a result is no longer viewed as a single entity, but rather as a number of different disorders. This book is an attempt to bring the reader up to date with the latest advances in understanding neglect, at least insofar as this contributes to better clinical assessment, management and treatment. This is not a book for the specialist researcher in the neuropsychology of neglect and attention. Rather, it is a book aimed at clinicians - student and trained - from all disciplines involved in the assessment, management and treatment of neglect.
The book begins with the description of four cases manifesting different types of unilateral neglect. The reader is introduced to different aspects of neglect through these patients. These distinctions include those between personal and extrapersonal neglect, motor versus sensory neglect and many others. The reader is also introduced to other phenomena that are closely related to neglect, including ansognosia and impaired sustained attention. The latest methodes of assessment of neglect are also described, as are methods of treatment, again with reference to the four introductory specimen cases.

172 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1999

About the author

Ian Robertson is Professor of Psychology at Trinity College, Dublin and founding Director of Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience. Robertson is the first psychologist in Ireland to have been elected a member of the Royal Irish Academy. Robertson also holds the positions of Visiting Professor at University College London, Visiting Professor at Bangor University, University of Wales, and Visiting Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute, University of Toronto. Robertson was previously a Senior Scientist at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge, where he was also a fellow at Hughes Hall. Robertson sat on the Wellcome Trust Neuroscience and Mental Health Committee from 2006–2011.
Robertson is Director of the NIEL programme (Neuroenhancement for Inequalities in Elder Lives[3]). He was founding director of Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience.
A graduate of Glasgow University, Robertson gained his Masters (Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry) and Doctoral (Neuropsychology) degrees at the University of London.
Ian Robertson has published over 250 scientific articles in leading journals, including Nature, Brain, Journal of Neuroscience, and Psychological Bulletin. Ian has also contributed to public communication and understanding of science, contributing regularly to The Times and The Daily Telegraph, he was also a columnist for the British Medical Journal. Robertson is author and editor of ten scientific books, including the leading international textbook on cognitive rehabilitation (Cognitive Neurorehabilitation), and several books for the general reader which have been translated into multiple languages.