Standardization of apple cancellation test for neglect patients in Korea: An observational study

BACKGROUND: Neglect can be divided into two types using apple cancellation test (apple test): Egocentric neglect (EN) and allocentric neglect (AN). However, in South Korea, apple test results and decision criteria are still largely dependent on tests by foreign countries. AIM: To establish a new South Korea standard and improve the accuracy of neglect assessment, the apple experiment was standardized in this study. METHODS: This study was conducted on 223 healthy subjects for a total of 7 mo from August 2021 to February 2022. Standardization was carried out using the original apple test developed by Bickerton in 2011. In scoring for the apple test, total omission error refers to the number of missed targets (full apple) in the entire test sheet (left, middle, and right area). The score for EN is the difference between the cor-rect number of right area and the correct number of left area (excluding the middle area). For AN, the score is difference between the number of left opening apples and number of right opening apples (including the middle area). Linear regression analysis was used for standardization using the general characteristics of subjects and the results of the apple test. RESULTS: The cut-off score, which is the standard value indicating the pathological condition by combining the results of all subjects, is as follows: Total omission error (5), error for EN (2), and error for AN (2). Also, differences in cut-off score according to age were found. CONCLUSION: This study will be helpful in facilitating a more accurate differential diagnosis of neglect.