Article

Visual search refers to the capacity of an individual to find a
target among simultaneously presented distracters and is based on visual
abilities such as a fast visual processing and an accurate control of ballistic
eye movements (saccades) that guide the fovea to the target location. OBJECTIVE:
In adults, visual field defects caused by brain damage are often associated with
visual search disorders; in children, little is known about the effects of early
brain lesions on visual search abilities. METHODS: To test the presence of visual
search defects and to investigate the role of cortical plasticity after early
brain lesions, 29 children with congenital or acquired cerebral lesions, with and
without visual field defects, underwent a visual search test battery. RESULTS:
The children with acquired lesions and visual field defects had longer reaction
times (RTs) in the contralesional visual field compared with the ipsilesional,
whereas those with congenital lesions and visual field defects did not have
differences in RTs between the contralateral and ipsilateral visual fields and
had a visual search pattern similar to children without a visual field defect.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the hypothesis of more effective mechanisms
of functional compensation and reorganization of the visual system in children
with very early brain lesions, as opposed to those with later damage.

Langue : ANGLAIS