Preserved color imagery in an achromatopsic.
The loss of color vision secondary to central nervous system disease (achromatopsia) is thought to preclude visual imagery of colors. We report a patient with achromatopsia, secondary to bilateral temporo-occipital infarcts inclusive of the lingual and fusiform gyri, with preserved color imagery. Our findings, in conjunction with previous cases in the literature, are consistent with a single neural network for color processing in which a disconnection of internal activation from stored color representations produces impaired color imagery with preserved color perception, whereas a disconnection of visual input to these representations produces achromatopsia with preserved color imagery.
Shuren
J E
JE
Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH 45267-0525, USA.
Brott
T G
TG
Schefft
B K
BK
Houston
W
W
D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D003119:Color Perception Tests; D003117:Color Vision Defects / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests