Original article / Article original Does galvanic vestibular stimulation reduce spatial neglect? A negative study Diminution de la negligence spatiale unilaterale par stimulation galvanique vestibulaire ? Une etude negative

Introduction. – In spatial neglect, the functional benefit of rehabilitation methods is subject to debate. A few studies have reported that galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) is efficacious in spatial neglect. The objective of the present study was to establish whether the effects of GVS persist after the end of stimulation. Materials. – Four patients with pathological rightward deviation in a bisection task at least three months after right hemisphere stroke. A singleblind, randomized crossover design was used to assess the effects of GVS on performance in line bisection and star cancellation tasks under three different conditions (cathode-right, cathode-left and sham stimulation). Results. – There were no significant differences in the performance of either task following GVS (relative to sham stimulation). Conclusion. – Galvanic vestibular stimulation did not reduce spatial neglect symptoms in any of the stimulation conditions. Further studies are necessary to understand the disparity between our results and those reported in the literature. Repeated sessions, a higher current intensity and/or alternating-current stimulation may improve this method before it can be used clinically. # 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.