Applications of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Determining the Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Rehabilitation of Spatial Neglect

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a neuroimaging tool which has been applied extensively to explore the pathophysiological mechanisms of neurological disorders. Spatial neglect is considered to be the failure to attend or respond to stimuli on the side of the space or body opposite a cerebral lesion. In this review, we summarize and analyze fMRI studies focused specifically on spatial neglect. Evidence from fMRI studies have highlighted the role of dorsal and ventral attention networks in the pathophysiological mechanisms of spatial neglect, and also support the concept of interhemispheric rivalry as an explanatory model. fMRI studies have shown that several rehabilitation methods can induce activity changes in brain regions implicated in the control of spatial attention. Future investigations with large study cohorts and appropriate subgroup analyses should be conducted to confirm the possibility that fMRI might offer an objective standard for predicting spatial neglect and tracking the response of brain activity to clinical treatment, as well as provide biomarkers to guide rehabilitation for patients with SN.