Phosphene induction and the generation of saccadic eye movements by striate
cortex.
Tehovnik EJ, Slocum WM, Carvey CE, Schiller PH
J Neurophysiol. 2005 Jan;93(1):1-19. Epub 2004 Sep 15.
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to critically examine phosphene induction and saccadic
eye movement generation by electrical microstimulation of striate cortex (area
V1) in humans and monkeys. The following issues are addressed: 1) Properties of
electrical stimulation as they pertain to the activation of V1 elements; 2) the
induction of phosphenes in sighted and blind human subjects elicited by electrical
stimulation using various stimulation parameters and electrode types; 3) the induction
of phosphenes with electrical microstimulation of V1 in monkeys; 4) the generation
of saccadic eye movements with electrical microstimulation of V1 in monkeys; and
5) the tasks involved for the development of a cortical visual prosthesis for
the blind. In this review it is concluded that electrical microstimulation of
area V1 in trained monkeys can be used to accelerate the development of an effective
prosthetic device for the blind.
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