Neural Mechanism of Blindsight in a Macaque Model.
Neuroscience August 10, 2021 Tadashi Isa, Masatoshi Yoshida 24 citations
Damage to the primary visual cortex (V1) eliminates visual awareness but some patients retain visuomotor abilities, a condition called blindsight. Studies in macaque monkeys with unilateral V1 lesions show that recovery of visually guided saccades to the affected field takes several weeks. The neural pathway from the superior colliculus to the pulvinar, along with the lateral geniculate nucleus, supports visuomotor processing, and both sides of the lateral intraparietal cortex become critical for saccade control. Signal detection analysis reveals reduced sensitivity to visual targets, indicating impaired awareness.