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Related Experiment Videos

Phosphenes induced by sound.

S Lessell, M M Cohen

    Neurology
    |November 1, 1979
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Individuals with vision loss experienced light flashes (phosphenes) when hearing sounds, particularly in dim light. This suggests altered brain cells may overreact to sound due to visual deafferentation.

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    Area of Science:

    • Neuroscience
    • Ophthalmology
    • Auditory Perception

    Background:

    • Acquired unilateral visual impairment can lead to complex sensory alterations.
    • Phosphenes, the perception of light without a visual stimulus, are typically associated with visual pathway disturbances.

    Observation:

    • Three patients with acquired unilateral visual impairment reported experiencing phosphenes triggered by auditory stimuli.
    • These sound-induced phosphenes occurred specifically during periods of rest in dark or dimly lit environments.
    • The duration of these hallucinations varied, lasting days to months depending on the underlying cause of visual impairment (e.g., postkeratoplasty, optic neuritis, optic nerve compression).

    Findings:

    • The observed phenomenon is characterized as a pathological variant of hypnagogic hallucinations.

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  • Sound-induced phosphenes in these cases suggest a cross-modal sensory processing alteration.
  • The persistence of phosphenes correlates with the severity and duration of visual deafferentation and altered neural excitability.

    • Implications:

    • This suggests that under conditions of altered brain excitability and visual deafferentation, neurons may exhibit cross-modal hyperresponsiveness.
    • The findings offer insights into the neural mechanisms underlying sensory substitution and hallucinations in acquired sensory loss.
    • Further research could explore therapeutic strategies targeting neural plasticity and cross-modal interactions in visually impaired individuals.