ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effects of sensory cueing (SC) on unilateral spatial neglect after stroke.Methods Five stroke survivors with unilateral spatial neglect underwent a tailored sensory cueing treatment (wearing a sensory cueing device 3 hours a day, 5 days a week for 2 weeks) in addition to their conventional rehabilitation.Two weeks before and one day before the treatment, and then one day, two weeks and 4 weeks after the treatment, all five patients were assessed using the Hong Kong edition of the behavioral inattention test (BIT-C).Results No significant changes were identified in the average BIT-C ratings at the two time point before the intervention.However, the average score had increased significantly only one day after the start of the intervention, with further significant improvement at each of the succeeding 2 week intervals.The greatest improvement was in finishing cancellation tasks, and the most severely affected patient showed the greatest improvement.Conclusion Sensory cueing treatment may be useful and feasible in reducing unilateral spatial neglect for stroke survivors.However, randomized and controlled trials with larger samples are needed to further verify its effects.
