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Noradrenergic modulation of space exploration in visual neglect
Author(s) -
Malhotra Paresh A.,
Parton Andrew D.,
Greenwood Richard,
Husain Masud
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.20701
Subject(s) - neglect , dorsolateral , neuroscience , guanfacine , task (project management) , psychology , prefrontal cortex , agonist , dorsolateral prefrontal cortex , cognitive psychology , cognition , medicine , anesthesia , psychiatry , receptor , clonidine , management , economics
Visual neglect after stroke is often associated with a failure to explore contralesional space. Here, we show that guanfacine, a noradrenergic agonist that modulates dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, improves leftward space exploration in selected right‐hemisphere patients with neglect. The positive effects of guanfacine were associated with extended ability to maintain attention on task. The results suggest that neuropharmacological targeting of intact frontal areas might be one way to enhance cognitive function after damage to posterior brain regions in selected individuals. Ann Neurol 2005