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The following is a summary of “Reduced Visuospatial Attention in Personal Space is Not Limited to the Affected Limb in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome,” published in the April 2024 issue of Pain by Halicka et al.
Inconsistent findings exist regarding whether patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) have reduced attention to their painful limbs and surrounding space.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating whether reduced attention in CRPS is specific to the painful limb’s personal space or extends to the affected side.
Using visual Temporal Order Judgment tasks, they assessed spatial attention within patients’ personal space. There were 14 patients with upper limb CRPS, 14 with lower limb CRPS, and 17 pain-free controls. Each participant had to determine the order of two light flashes presented at varying time intervals on their hands or feet. Slower processing of the flash on one side of the space indicated reduced attention to that side compared to the other.
The results showed controls exhibited a bias towards stimuli on the non-dominant (left) side, in line with the established leftward attention bias (i.e., “pseudoneglect”). Individuals with CRPS, regardless of pain location or visual stimulus, did not display this asymmetry, indicating decreased attention towards the affected side compared to controls’ attention towards their non-dominant side. Increased CRPS severity correlated with a higher inclination to prioritize stimuli away from the affected side.
Investigators concluded that patients with CRPS showed a broader visuospatial bias affecting the entire personal space of the affected side, not just the area near the painful limb.
