Blindsight and Unilateral Neglect
Blindsight refers to the ability of individuals diagnosed with cortical blindness due to the presence of lesions in the person’s striate cortex to react to visual stimuli that they are unable to see (Ienca, 2016) consciously. The presence of lesions in an individual’s cortex is also referred to as the primary visual cortex. On the other hand, unilateral neglect (UN) is a neuropsychological disorder where an individual is unaware or unconscious of one side of their body, which often caused by a lesion in the person’s central nervous system (CNS) (Azouvi & Luauté, 2017). The lack of awareness on one side of a person’s body is due to the damage in one of the brain’s hemispheres.
According to Ienca (2016), having insight in blindsight phenomenon guides researchers in understanding how the human mind facilitate conscious visual experience, which category of non-human animals are exposed to conscious experiences, conditions under which perception is considered conscious, and the location or position of consciousness in the human brain. Therefore, based on these contributions, researchers can comprehend the various elements related to awareness as well as ascertain the numerous non-trivial philosophical, ethical, and neuroscience setbacks posed by blindsight (Ienca, 2016).
Like blindsight, unilateral neglect also enables researchers to determine the location within the brain where conscious experience occurs. Furthermore, comprehension of unilateral neglect is useful in the development of most effective rehabilitation procedures applicable in cases where damage in a hemisphere occurs (Azouvi & Luauté, 2017). Researchers can conduct blinded assessments and arrive at more conclusive and comprehensive outcomes on the nature and state of an individual’s hemispherical damage.
References
Azouvi, P., Jacquin-Courtois, S., & Luauté, J. (2017). Rehabilitation of unilateral neglect: Evidence-based medicine. Annals of physical and rehabilitation medicine, 60(3), 191-197. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877065716305322
Ienca, M. (2016). The Contribution of Blindsight to the Understanding of Consciousness: Empirical, Conceptual and Normative Implications. Frontiers in Neuroethics: Conceptual and Empirical Advancements, 33. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marcello_Ienca/publication/302877559_On_the_Contribution_of_Blindsight_to_the_Understanding_of_Consciousness_Empirical_Conceptual_and_Normative_Implications/links/5732434a08ae298602da3544/On-the-Contribution-of-Blindsight-to-the-Understanding-of-Consciousness-Empirical-Conceptual-and-Normative-Implications.pdf