title: Visual hallucinations during prolonged blindfolding in sighted subjects.
abstract: The authors report the occurrence of visual hallucinations of varying complexity in 13 normal subjects after sudden, complete, and prolonged visual deprivation. The subjects were all healthy individuals with no history of cognitive dysfunction, psychosis, or ocular pathology. They wore a specially designed blindfold for a period of five consecutive days (96 hours) and were asked to record their daily experiences using a hand-held microcassette recorder. Ten (77%) of the subjects reported visual hallucinations, which were both simple (bright spots of light) and complex (faces, landscapes, ornate objects). The onset of hallucinations was generally after the first day of blindfolding. Subjects were insightful as to their unreal nature. These results indicate that rapid and complete visual deprivation is sufficient to induce visual hallucinations in normal subjects.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Magnetic Brain Stimulation, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Lotfi B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Merabet
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maguire
authors.forename: Aisling
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Warde
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alterescu
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stickgold
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pascual-Leone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001458:Bandages; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D012016:Reference Values; D012683:Sensory Deprivation; D013997:Time Factors; D014110:Touch; D014785:Vision, Ocular