Simple reaction-time changes in patients with unilateral brain damage

Changes of simple visual reaction time were analysed in two groups of unilateral brain-damaged patients in order to evaluate to what extent properties of lesions, clinical parameters and experimental variables might influence speed of motor response. The results confirmed that brain damage, independ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuropsychologia 1986, Vol.24 (5), p.649-658
Main Authors: Tartaglione, Antonio, Bino, Giovanni, Manzino, Marcello, Spadavecchia, Luciano, Favale, Emilio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aphasia - physiopathology
Applied sciences
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain Diseases - diagnostic imaging
Brain Diseases - physiopathology
Exact sciences and technology
Functional Laterality - physiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Middle Aged
Other techniques and industries
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reaction Time - physiology
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
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Summary:Changes of simple visual reaction time were analysed in two groups of unilateral brain-damaged patients in order to evaluate to what extent properties of lesions, clinical parameters and experimental variables might influence speed of motor response. The results confirmed that brain damage, independent of its side, produces a retardation of speed. However, the two hemispheric groups differed in so far as volume of damage had a different bearing depending on side of lesion. In spite of such a difference the presence of a general interaction between size of damage and rate of progression of lesion was noted in both the hemispheres, reminiscent of Jackson's concept of ‘lesion momentum’. Aphasia was related to a significant retardation of speed in left-hemisphere-diseased patients, although a specific effect of the disturbance of language could not be demonstrated. Experimental variables such as warned vs unwarned stimulation did not affect significantly the performance of brain-damaged patients.
ISSN:0028-3932
1873-3514
DOI:10.1016/0028-3932(86)90004-7