Which perseverative behaviors are symptoms of spatial neglect

Abstract Spatial neglect is a characterized by a failure to attend or make movements towards left-sided stimuli. Common paper-and-pencil tasks to diagnose spatial neglect are sensitive to perseverative errors, including additional marks over already cancelled targets and “scribbling” out a target. Here, we examine whether functionally distinct perseverative behaviors are related to spatial neglect. Line cancellation tasks of 45 healthy controls and 220 right-hemisphere stroke survivors were examined for recurrent marks (RM) and continuous marks (CM) perseverations. We found that RM perseveration correlated with neglect severity, while CM perseveration did not. Examination of lesion profiles for the two groups indicated distinct anatomical correlates, with RM lesions overlapping regions implicated in spatial neglect including the rolandic operculum, superior temporal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule.