Directional hypokinesia: prolonged reaction times for leftward movements in patients with right hemisphere lesions and neglect.

Patients with hemispatial neglect perform activities poorly in the hemispace contralateral to the lesion. We postulate that hemispatial neglect induced by right hemisphere lesions may be associated with a directional hypokinesia: initiation of movements toward the hemispace contralateral to the lesion is affected more than movements toward the lesion. We tested 6 patients with hemispatial neglect caused by right hemisphere damage, 7 with left hemisphere damage and no neglect, and 12 controls. Patients with left hemispatial neglect initiated responses to left hemispace more slowly than toward right hemispace.