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Emotional facial expression can be discriminated despite extensive lesions of striate cortex. Here we report differential performance with recognition of facial stimuli in the intact visual field depending on simultaneous presentation of congruent or incongruent stimuli in the blind field. Three experiments were based on inter-hemispheric summation. Redundant stimulation in the blind field led to shorter latencies for stimulus detection in the intact field. Recognition of the expression of a half-face expression in the intact field was faster when the other half of the face presented to the blind field had a congruent expression. Finally, responses to the expression of whole faces to the intact field were delayed for incongruent facial expressions presented in the blind field. These results indicate that the neuro-anatomical pathways (extra-striate cortical and sub-cortical) sustaining inter-hemispheric summation can operate in the absence of striate cortex.

Original publication

DOI

10.1097/00001756-200102120-00040

Type

Journal article

Journal

Neuroreport

Publication Date

12/02/2001

Volume

12

Pages

385 - 391

Keywords

Blindness, Consciousness, Emotions, Facial Expression, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Parietal Lobe, Photic Stimulation, Recognition, Psychology, Visual Cortex, Visual Fields, Visual Perception