Stereopsis and color vision impairment in patients with right extrastriate cerebral lesions.
OBJECTIVE
The extrastriate cortex is a visual processing structure beyond the striate cortex. This region contains cells that differ in selectivity for different features of stimuli such as color, motion and stereopsis. We studied stereopsis and color vision in patients with right extrastriate cerebral lesions.


METHODS
Patients with right extrastriate cerebral lesions determined by MRI were recruited among consecutive inpatients. Patients with cognitive impairment (Mini Mental Status Examination score <24) were excluded. An ophthalmologist performed cortical visual testing: visual acuity, stereopsis, color vision and strabismus within 1 week after the insult.


RESULTS
Cortical visual testing was performed in 12 patients. Among the patients studied, 11 demonstrated abnormalities: reduced stereoacuity (8/12), color vision abnormalities (7/12). Seven patients showed complex cortical visual abnormalities. However, only 2 patients complained of subjective clinical symptoms. The MRI lesions in patients with disturbance of stereopsis were located in the dorsal occipitoparietal area and the ventral occipitotemporal area. Color vision abnormalities corresponded to lesions in the ventral occipitotemporal area.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with lesions in the right extrastriate cortex tend to have disturbance of stereopsis and color vision abnormalities, even in the absence of visual complaints.
Koh
Seong-Beom
SB
Department of Neurology, Korea University Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Kim
Byung-Jo
BJ
Lee
Jongyun
J
Suh
Sang-il
SI
Kim
Tack-Koon
TK
Kim
Seung-Hyun
SH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D003117:Color Vision Defects / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003867:Depth Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology