Research in Action: Right Hemisphere Stroke Center

Ongoing activities at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute enable us to transfer discoveries directly from the lab into our patient care system.

MossRehab’s Right Hemisphere Stroke Center is the only center in the U.S. to focus on managing all the components of right hemisphere stroke syndrome. The center provides treatments and therapies developed by researchers at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI) in collaboration with MossRehab clinicians.

An integrated program of advanced diagnostics and targeted therapies

People who suffer a stroke in the brain’s right hemisphere can experience various difficulties, including lack of motivation, depression, low energy, decreased awareness of physical limitations and left neglect, which is a problem in perceiving and responding to things or people that appear on one’s left side.

Patients at the Right Hemisphere Stroke Center receive a careful evaluation to measure symptoms of right hemisphere stroke syndrome. Certain advanced diagnostic tests are unique to the center. For example, patients here benefit from the Virtual Reality Lateralized Attention Test (VRLAT), an assessment in navigation abilities, developed by the center’s director, Dr. Laurel Buxbaum, in collaboration with colleagues at MRRI.  The VRLAT uses computer technology to simulate the sensation of driving along a winding path. It detects even subtle signs of left neglect, which can have serious safety consequences in everyday life.

After the evaluation, patients undergo targeted therapies.  These include research-driven tools such as wedge prism lenses and mirror box therapy, both of which help recalibrate spatial motor systems.

Skills learned in the center can be adapted in daily life

Education and training are available for patients and their families to help ensure that skills learned at the center last longer and transfer more readily to real-life situations.  Families may also receive counseling to help them cope with issues related to living with someone who has right hemisphere stroke syndrome.

Specialized data analysis tools, developed by MossRehab researchers, monitor patient progress throughout the course of treatment.  Once treatments are complete, each patient receives a full follow-up evaluation, which helps determine the impact of the program on spatial and motor functioning, emotional status and coping skills. Results from these evaluations help the center determine if its current program may be adjusted to achieve even better results for its stroke patients.

The Right Hemisphere Stroke Center provides treatment on an outpatient basis. For more information call 215-663-6354 or visit the center’s web page.