On the bright side of blindsight. Considerations from new observations of awareness in a blindsight patient.
Beatrice De Gelder, Nicholas Humphrey, Alan J Pegna
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) January 8, 2025 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae456 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Naturalistic observation Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | Patient with bilateral damage to the striate cortex |
| Keywords | Blindsight Color processing Consciousness Cortical blindness Hemianopia Residual vision |
| Citations | 9 |
| Key points | A patient with bilateral striate cortex damage could detect and consciously perceive colored objects, particularly red ones, challenging traditional blindsight classifications. |
Abstract
Blindsight refers to the ability to make accurate visual discriminations without conscious awareness of the stimuli. In this study, we present new evidence from naturalistic observations of a patient with bilateral damage to the striate cortex, who surprisingly demonstrated the ability to detect colored objects, particularly red ones. Despite the slow and effortful process, the patient reported full awareness of the color aspect of the stimuli. These observations cannot be explained by traditional concepts of type 1 or type 2 blindsight, raising intriguing questions about the boundaries between objective and subjective blindness, as well as the nature of visual experience and epistemic agency. Moreover, these findings underscore the significant role that blindsight could play in future research, especially in understanding how higher cortical functions are involved in emotions and feelings. This highlights the necessity for further exploration to better understand the visual features that contribute to the phenomenon of affective blindsight.