No blindsight following hemidecortication in human subjects?
Using a guessing paradigm we measured visual sensitivity in the blind and normal half-fields of four cerebrally hemidecorticated patients. In the blind field, sensitivity was reduced by approximately 3 long units. Stimuli which produced significant detection also evoked conscious sensations of light and colour. Control experiments showed that although sensitivity in the blind field depended in a normal fashion on background luminance it was independent of the luminance of a local platform, and showed no spatial summation. This residual vision can be explained by intraocular light diffusion and reflection.
Institute of Medical psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
P
P
Stoerig
J
J
Faubert
M
M
Ptito
V
V
Diaconu
A
A
Ptito
D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology*; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*