The nature of unilateral neglect in the olfactory sensory system.

This study investigated two major theories of unilateral neglect utilizing the ipsilaterally innervated olfactory sense. The sensory theory states that unilateral neglect is due to a diminished or attenuated sensory input. The representational theory states that unilateral neglect is due to a disordered internal representation, which is not dependent on sensory input. Results of the study revealed that right hemisphere lesion patients with left unilateral neglect failed to respond to their left contralateral nostril on olfactory double simultaneous stimulation, consistent with the representational theory because the left nostril has no direct sensory input to the right hemisphere.