A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal
Is the primary visual cortex necessary for blindsight-like behavior? Review of transcranial magnetic stimulation studies in neurologically healthy individuals
Authors: Railo Henry, Hurme Mikko
Publisher: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Publication year: 2021
Journal: Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
Journal name in source: NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
Journal acronym: NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV R
Volume: 127
First page : 353
Last page: 364
Number of pages: 12
ISSN: 0149-7634
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.038
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.038
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/66460624
The visual pathways that bypass the primary visual cortex (V1) are often assumed to support visually guided behavior in humans in the absence of conscious vision. This conclusion is largely based on findings on patients: V1 lesions cause blindness but sometimes leave some visually guided behaviors intact-this is known as blindsight. With the aim of examining how well the findings on blindsight patients generalize to neurologically healthy individuals, we review studies which have tried to uncover transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) induced blindsight. In general, these studies have failed to demonstrate a completely unconscious blindsight-like capacity in neurologically healthy individuals. A possible exception to this is TMS-induced blindsight of stimulus presence or location. Because blindsight in patients is often associated with some form of introspective access to the visual stimulus, and blindsight may be associated with neural reorganization, we suggest that rather than revealing a dissociation between visually guided behavior and conscious seeing, blindsight may reflect preservation or partial recovery of conscious visual perception after the lesion.
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |  |
