ABSTRACT
Objective:To study the judgment strategies of stroke patients facing different visual stimulus and the main factors affecting the mental rotation test results. Methods:From May to October, 2018, 15 stroke patients and 15 age-sex-education-matched healthy controls accepted standard software-based mental rotation tests with four kinds of visual stimulus: hand back, hand palm, Chinese characters and alphabets. Reaction time and response accuracy were recorded. All the subjects were assessed with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the patients were assessed with Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremities (FMA-UE) additionally. Results:When hand back, hand palm and alphabets worked as visual stimulus, the response accuracy was less in the patients than in the controls (F > 7.027, P < 0.05). For all the tests, the reaction time was more in the patients than in the controls (F > 14.827, P < 0.001). The main effect of rotation angle was significant to reaction time when picture of hands as visual stimulus (F > 7.747, P < 0.001), while it was the least at 0°. The MoCA scores negatively correlated with reaction time in both groups (r < -0.375, P < 0.05), as well as the FMA-UE scores in the patients (r < -0.581, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Different types of visual stimulus may affect the judgment strategies and results of mental rotation test. Motor imagery ability is impaired for stroke patients, however, the basic reaction model maintains somehow.