Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation : Role in the Improvement of Egocentric Frame in Patient With Right Parietal Lobe Lesions

Right posterior parietal cortex is involved in spatial cognition. Blindfolded patients suffering right posterior parietal lesions fail to update their own position after a body rotation. Right cathodal galvanic vestibular stimulation activates right posterior parietal cortex and reduces symptoms of spatial neglect, another disability frequently encountered after right posterior parietal lesion. The aims of this study are to confirm posterior parietal involvement in automatic updating of body-centered spatial relationships and to evaluate therapeutic effects of galvanic vestibular stimulation. Performances of three groups of adults are compared before and during galvanic vestibular stimulation on a pointing task: a healthy control group, a brain-injured control group with stroke lesions sparing right posterior parietal cortex and a group of stroke patients with right posterior parietal lesions.