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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 22, 2026

Classical Short-Delay Eyeblink Conditioning in One-Year-Old Children

Classical Short-Delay Eyeblink Conditioning in One-Year-Old Children

Published on: September 1, 2018

Possible blindsight in infants lacking one cerebral hemisphere.

O Braddick¹, J Atkinson, B Hood

¹Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK.

|December 3, 1992

Summary

Infants with hemisphere removal show blindsight, detecting targets via subcortical systems. However, optokinetic nystagmus suggests subcortical control is limited, challenging prior assumptions about visual processing.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Ophthalmology

Background:

Blindsight, the ability to respond to visual stimuli without conscious perception, is typically associated with damage to the striate cortex.
The precise roles of subcortical neural systems and extra-striate pathways in blindsight remain incompletely understood.
Investigating visual processing in infants with early-life brain lesions offers a unique window into neural plasticity and functional recovery.

Observation:

Two infants underwent surgical removal of one cerebral hemisphere, including striate and extra-striate visual cortex, within their first year of life.
These infants demonstrated the ability to fixate on conspicuous targets presented in the visual field contralateral to the lesion.
A marked asymmetry was observed in binocular optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) responses.

Findings:

The ability to elicit fixations suggests that a subcortical system is capable of detecting and orienting to visual targets, even without cortical input.
The asymmetry in OKN challenges the notion that subcortical pathways alone adequately support this visual reflex.
Results indicate that while subcortical control may support visual fixation, it is insufficient for normal OKN development.

Implications:

These findings suggest a dissociation in subcortical visual processing capabilities, supporting target detection but not complex reflexes like OKN.
The study provides critical evidence for the differential roles of subcortical versus cortical pathways in early visual development and blindsight.
Understanding these dissociations is crucial for comprehending visual system development and potential rehabilitation strategies following early brain injury.