Coordinate frames for naming misoriented chimerics: a case study of visuo-spatial neglect

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Investigating the perceptual frame of reference in visuo-spatial neglect is crucial.
• Standard tests confound viewer-centered and object-centered coordinate systems.

Observation:

• A patient (FB) with left visual neglect was tested with chimeric figures at various orientations.
• The patient's ability to recognize the left side of figures was assessed.

Findings:

• The patient consistently failed to recognize the left side of chimeric figures.
• This occurred even when object rotation shifted the 'left' side to the patient's egocentric up or down.

Implications:

• Unilateral neglect appears to be tied to an object-centered reference frame.
• Findings challenge viewer-centered representational accounts of visuo-spatial neglect.