The effects of motivational reward on the pathological attentional blink following right hemisphere stroke

Abstract

Recent work has shown that attentional deficits following stroke can be modulated by motivational stimulation, particularly anticipated monetary reward. Here we examined the effects of anticipated reward on the pathological attentional blink (AB), an index of temporal selective attention, which is prolonged in patients with right hemisphere damage and a history of left neglect.We specifically compared the effects of reward versus feedback-without-reward on the AB in 17 patients. We found that the patients all manifested impaired performance compared to healthy controls and that reward modulated the pathological blink in the patient group, but only in the second experimental session. When the performance of patients whose neglect had recovered was compared with that of patients who had ongoing or persistent neglect, reward appeared to only influence the AB in the former. These results have implications for our understanding of motivation-attention interactions following right hemisphere stroke, and how they may impact upon recovery from spatial neglect.

Endogenous dopamine transmission is crucial for motor skill recovery after stroke

“…Targeting the DAergic system to enhance motivation would constitute a good strategy to improve the efficiency of rehabilitation. Increasing reward feedback has already been shown promising to alleviate spatial neglect ( Li et al, 2016 ), improve arm rehabilitation ( Widmer et al, 2022 )and performance as well as retention in a motor adaptation task ( Quattrocchi et al, 2017 ).…”

Spatial and non-spatial aspects of visual attention: Interactive cognitive mechanisms and neural underpinnings

“…Finally, Li and colleagues examined the link between motivation and attentional processes in neglect patients (Li, et al, 2016). This elegant study in right-hemispheric patients, with either recovered or persistent neglect, examined the possible effects of monetary reward (as a motivational factor) on the pathologically prolonged attentional blink associated with the neglect syndrome.…”