Neuropsychological Evidence for Localisation of Visual Sensory Functions

Citation

Wilson JTL, Dutton GN & Wiedmann KD (1989) Neuropsychological Evidence for Localisation of Visual Sensory Functions. In: Crawford J & Parker D (eds.) Developments in Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. New York: Springer, pp. 315-324. http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4757-9996-5_26#

Abstract
Over recent years there has been a considerable advance in our understanding of the organisation of the cerebral cortex. It is now widely accepted that the visual cortex is subdivided into a number of areas each of which selectively analyses a particular stimulus attribute (Van Essen, 1979; Zeki, 1978). The evidence for this view derives almost entirely from neurophysiological and neuroanatomical studies. In contrast, neuropsychological evidence for localisation of sensory functions remains sparse: there have only been isolated reports of patients with specific visual sensory deficits. Yet such evidence is of particular significance since it serves to provide information not only about cortical functions, but also about the specific manner in which the human cortex is organised. Neuropsychological studies may therefore serve as a bridge between neurophysiological or neuroanatomical conceptions of functional organisation and our understanding of human visual functions. The purpose of this chapter is to consider selectively the neuropsychological evidence and examine its implications for current views of cortical organisation. In addition we will also describe and discuss a patient who shows a perceptual impairment in the ability to perceive vertical contour.