Productive behaviours have diverse clinical manifestations and may be induced by different
mechanisms. Lesional studies are beginning to provide evidence for specific anatomical
correlates of these disorders. Further investigations are needed to better understand to what
extent productive symptoms can be disentagled from spatial neglect. These attempts may
contribute to clarifying the role of the right hemisphere in monitoring spatial cognition.

This thesis describes behavioural observations and anatomical investigations concerning
productive symptoms observable in right brain damaged patients with spatial neglect. A"
productive" symptom is defined here as a behavioural manifestation that, contrary to what
observed when performance is lacking or its failure is acknowledged by patients, is
characterized by the active generation of acts or verbal reports reflecting a distorted mental
representation of reality. A first classification of productive symptoms in neglect patients …