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The Virtual Reality Lateralized Attention Test: Sensitivity and validity of a new clinical tool for assessing hemispatial neglect

In previous investigations, we demonstrated that a virtual reality navigation test developed in our laboratory is a sensitive and valid measure of hemispatial neglect and real-world navigation skills. In the present study we extend these results through development of a version of the test that does not rely on specialized equipment. The study aimed to replicate previous demonstrations of the sensitivity of the test, now called the Virtual Reality Lateralized Attention Test (VRLAT), to subtle attentional deficits in a larger sample of consecutively-recruited right hemisphere stroke patients, and to further enhance the testpsilas sensitivity via the addition of a new task level with moving distractors. Eighteen right-hemisphere stroke patients performed the new version of the VRLAT and a battery of standard neglect and attention tests. The VRLAT strongly predicted performance on the other neglect tasks; moreover, the VRLAT detected lateralized attention deficits in 3 patients who performed within the normal range on traditional paper-and-pencil tasks. The VRLAT is a sensitive, valid measure of lateralized attention and navigation ability, and the current version is inexpensive and easy to administer, rendering it a useful tool for clinical assessment.