Journal

The Japanese journal of neuropsychology

[Vol.19 No.2 contents]
Japanese/English

Full Text of this Article
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ArticleTitle Impaired conscious awareness of visual processing and its dysfunction
Language J
AuthorList Kyoko SUZUKI MD, PhD
Affiliation Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Disability Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
Publication Japanese Journal of Neuropsychology: 19 (2), 104-111, 2003
Received
Accepted
Abstract Dissociation between a cognitive processing and conscious awareness of the processing is one of the stimulating topics of neurology. In addition, dissociation between a cognitive dysfunction due to cerebral damage and conscious awareness of the disability, i.e. anosognosia, has also attracted attention. But neural mechanisms underlying the conscious awareness remained unsolved.
This dissociation was most often reported in visual processing. For example, lesions affecting the primary visual cortex (V1) can uncouple visual discrimination and awareness. A patient with the V1 lesion sometimes showed discrimination of visual stimuli without conscious awareness, i.e., blindsight. In contrast, patients with cortical blindness sometimes deny their blindness and incline to perform as if they can see the world, i.e. Anton's syndrome.
The basic mechanism of uncoupling between visual processing and conscious awareness may be related to the fact that human brain is organized to perceive stimuli in the surrounding world, but not to monitor consciously their own cognitive processes.
Keywords anosognosia, Anton's syndrome, blindsight, disconnection syndrome, consciousness

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