Stroke study shows brain’s right side responsible for “self-monitoring”

Washington -- Boffins have highlighted differences in people’s ability to perform basic tasks, depending on whether the left or right sides of their brains have been damaged by a stroke.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Dr Tim Hodgson at the University of Exeter.

As part of the study, researchers studied 23 people to focus on the damage caused by the stroke to the frontal lobes, the front part of the brain that is known to be responsible for aspects of language, decision-making and learning, by performing a ‘rule-switching’ task which involved learning rules linking the colour of a symbol on a computer screen with a movement to the left or right.

Researchers found that all the participants made mistakes during the task, but those with right-brain damage most frequently failed to spot their errors and had difficulty keeping track of the changing task rules.

The study suggested that people who suffer damage to their right frontal lobe following a stroke might struggle in everyday situations that require attention to be switched flexibly from one thing to another.

“We know that suffering a stroke in the left frontal region can affect aspects of speech and language, but this research highlights, for the first time, the additional challenges that people with right frontal-lobe damage might face in everyday life. This study highlighted the role that the right-hand side of the brain has in keeping track of our own actions and helping us to notice when we have made mistakes,” Hodgson said.

“This type of “self-monitoring” function may play a crucial role in many day to day situations. For example, when preparing a meal we often have to keep track of several tasks at once and make sure we perform each one correctly and at the right time,” Hogan added.

The findings of the study were published in the journal Brain. (ANI)