Does Stroke Imaging Provide Insights into the Neural Basis of Cognition?

Since the advent of in vivo imaging, first with CT, and then MRI, structural neuroimaging in patients has been widely used as a tool to explore the neural correlates of a wide variety of cognitive functions. Findings from studies using this methodology have formed a core component of current accounts of cognition, but there are a number of problematic issues related to inferring cognitive functions from structural imaging data in stroke and more generally, lesion-based neuropsychology as a whole. This review addresses these concerns in the context of spatial neglect, a common disorder most frequently encountered following right hemisphere stroke. Recent literature, including attempts to address some of these questions, is discussed. Novel approaches and findings from related fields that may help to put stroke-based lesion mapping studies into perspective are reviewed, allowing critical but constructive evaluation of previous work in the field.