Behavioural and electrophysiological chromatic and achromatic contrast sensitivity in an achromatopsic patient.

OBJECTIVES: In cases of incomplete achromatopsia it is unclear whether residual visual function is mediated by intact striate cortex or results from incomplete lesions to extrastriate cortical visual areas. A patient with complete cerebral achromatopsia was tested to establish the nature of his resi...

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Main Authors: Heywood, C, Nicholas, J, Cowey, A
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 1996
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author Heywood, C
Nicholas, J
Cowey, A
author_facet Heywood, C
Nicholas, J
Cowey, A
author_sort Heywood, C
collection OXFORD
description OBJECTIVES: In cases of incomplete achromatopsia it is unclear whether residual visual function is mediated by intact striate cortex or results from incomplete lesions to extrastriate cortical visual areas. A patient with complete cerebral achromatopsia was tested to establish the nature of his residual vision and to determine the integrity of striate cortex function. METHODS: Behavioural contrast sensitivity, using the method of adjustment, and averaged visually evoked cortical potentials were measured to sinusoidally modulated chromatic and achromatic gratings in an achromatopsic patient and a normal observer. Eye movements were measured in the patient using a Skalar infrared monitoring system. RESULTS: The patient's chromatic contrast sensitivity was normal, indicating that despite his dense colour blindness his occipital cortex still processed information about spatial variations in hue. His sensitivity to achromatic gratings was depressed particularly at high spatial frequencies, possibly because of his jerk nystagmus. These behavioural results were reinforced by the nature of visually evoked responses to chromatic and achromatic gratings, in which total colour blindness coexisted with an almost normal cortical potential to isoluminant chromatic gratings. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that information about chromatic contrast is present in some cortical areas, and coded in a colour-opponent fashion, in the absence of any perceptual experience of colour.
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spelling oxford-uuid:a7a3b52f-8919-4897-ba4b-60b8b4de59b52022-03-27T02:55:57ZBehavioural and electrophysiological chromatic and achromatic contrast sensitivity in an achromatopsic patient.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:a7a3b52f-8919-4897-ba4b-60b8b4de59b5EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford1996Heywood, CNicholas, JCowey, AOBJECTIVES: In cases of incomplete achromatopsia it is unclear whether residual visual function is mediated by intact striate cortex or results from incomplete lesions to extrastriate cortical visual areas. A patient with complete cerebral achromatopsia was tested to establish the nature of his residual vision and to determine the integrity of striate cortex function. METHODS: Behavioural contrast sensitivity, using the method of adjustment, and averaged visually evoked cortical potentials were measured to sinusoidally modulated chromatic and achromatic gratings in an achromatopsic patient and a normal observer. Eye movements were measured in the patient using a Skalar infrared monitoring system. RESULTS: The patient's chromatic contrast sensitivity was normal, indicating that despite his dense colour blindness his occipital cortex still processed information about spatial variations in hue. His sensitivity to achromatic gratings was depressed particularly at high spatial frequencies, possibly because of his jerk nystagmus. These behavioural results were reinforced by the nature of visually evoked responses to chromatic and achromatic gratings, in which total colour blindness coexisted with an almost normal cortical potential to isoluminant chromatic gratings. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that information about chromatic contrast is present in some cortical areas, and coded in a colour-opponent fashion, in the absence of any perceptual experience of colour.
spellingShingle Heywood, C
Nicholas, J
Cowey, A
Behavioural and electrophysiological chromatic and achromatic contrast sensitivity in an achromatopsic patient.
title Behavioural and electrophysiological chromatic and achromatic contrast sensitivity in an achromatopsic patient.
title_full Behavioural and electrophysiological chromatic and achromatic contrast sensitivity in an achromatopsic patient.
title_fullStr Behavioural and electrophysiological chromatic and achromatic contrast sensitivity in an achromatopsic patient.
title_full_unstemmed Behavioural and electrophysiological chromatic and achromatic contrast sensitivity in an achromatopsic patient.
title_short Behavioural and electrophysiological chromatic and achromatic contrast sensitivity in an achromatopsic patient.
title_sort behavioural and electrophysiological chromatic and achromatic contrast sensitivity in an achromatopsic patient
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