A Critical Comment on Recent Reviews of Prism Adaptation Training: It’s Too Early to Close the Shop

Abstract

Abstract: Recent reviews on prism adaptation training (PAT) for visuospatial neglect concluded that it is ineffective. In our view, this conclusion goes too far. In this contribution, we discuss the limitations present in these reviews: the inclusion of right-sided neglect patients; failure to differentiate between patients with and without parietal lesions; ignoring results of line bisection or other tests. We argue that another aspect may play a role in the effectiveness of PAT: the extension of the task-work space. We show that using a workspace of more than 10° toward the contralesional side seems to improve the effectiveness of PAT. PAT still offers an important approach to treating neglect patients, and future studies should consider the extension of the workspace.