Is primary visual cortex necessary for visual awareness?
Trends in Neurosciences November 2014 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2014.09.006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) |
| Key points | The commentary reports that a new study demonstrates that visual qualia can be induced by TMS over the ipsilesional hemisphere in patients with V1 lesions, challenging models that require V1 integrity for conscious visual experience. |
Abstract
Influential models propose that conscious experience of extrastriate activity requires the integrity of primary visual cortex (V1). A new study challenges this view by demonstrating that when V1 is lesioned, visual qualia can be induced when transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is applied over the patients' ipsilesional hemisphere.