Effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation by metronome in unilateral spatial neglect patients

Abstract

This study examined an effective rehabilitation technique for unilateral spatial neglect. We undertook three experiments involving the rhythmically auditory stimulation with a metronome. The experiments dealt with (1) effect of auditory stimulus from the neglected side, (2) difference by stimulation side, and (3) difference in effect by type of rhythmic auditory stimulus. The results were as follows. (1) Stimulation improved performances, without regard to the severity of the subjects. However, one subject did not show any effect. (2) Stimulation on both the neglected side and the other side had effect. However, stimulation from the non-neglected side also had effect particular to that side. Stimulation from the neglected side was more effective than from the other side. (3) Stimulation with various rhythms had different effects. Based on the above results, rhythmic auditory stimulation with a metronome is an effective rehabilitation technique for unilateral spatial neglect.