Selective attention deficits after circumscribed lesions in the human thalamus

Introduction: The theory of visual attention (TVA, Bundesen 1990) is a method that allows to measure four independent parameters of visual attention (processing speed, visual short term memory capacity, selective control, spatial weighting). Several studies in stroke patients explored the role of cortical subregions, revealing that lesions in the entire cortical attention network lead to selective attention deficits in TVA parameters. Much less is known about the role of subcortical structures, especially about the role of the thalamus. The main goal of the study was to test if specific attention deficits exist…