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Abstract
Visual selective attention and response competition were tested in patients with frontal
lobe lesions or with Parkinson's disease, and matched normal controls. The target
stimuli were presented with flanking distractors that were either compatible, incompatible,
or neutral to the target stimulus. The distance between the target and distractors
was systematically varied. A control condition without distractors was also included.
Subjects' response times to target stimuli and accuracy were measured. Both patient
groups responded significantly slower and less accurately than their respective matched
normal controls across all interference conditions and spatial distances. However,
they did not show significantly greater interference or facilitation effects. Thus,
the data suggest that the cognitive processes underlying selective attention are,
in general, spared in patients with frontal lobe lesions or basal ganglia dysfunction.