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Published on: July 31, 2016
Recognition without awareness in a patient with simultanagnosia
Natalie L Denburg1, Robert D Jones, Daniel Tranel
1Department of Neurology, Division of Behavioral Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242-1053, USA. natalie-denburg@uiowa.edu
Patient 2354 with Balint syndrome showed unconscious recognition of negative images, evidenced by skin conductance responses despite no conscious awareness. This highlights nonconscious visual processing in dorsal visual stream dysfunction.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychophysiology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Investigating
Observation:
- Patient 2354, with visual-variant Alzheimer's disease and Balint syndrome, exhibited severe bilateral occipitoparietal atrophy.
- The patient could not consciously recognize the emotional valence of highly charged negative visual scenes.
Findings:
- Despite lack of conscious recognition, patient 2354 displayed significant skin conductance responses to negative images.
- This demonstrates "recognition without awareness," similar to findings in prosopagnosia and supporting covert visual processing in Balint syndrome.
- Evidence suggests intact pathways from visual cortices to autonomic centers (amygdala/hypothalamus) for nonconscious processing.
Implications:
- Recognition without awareness can occur with dorsal visual stream dysfunction and Balint syndrome.
- Adds to empirical data on nonconscious visual processing in neurological conditions.
- Suggests dissociation between conscious awareness and autonomic responses in visual processing.
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