Re: The Mind's Eye( was JP Barlow, Ph.D, Social Engineering)

Crosby_M (CrosbyM@po1.cpi.bls.gov)
Thu, 26 Sep 1996 14:45:00 -0400


On 9/26/96 QueeneMUSE wrote:

>Anders: or does anybody know
>When one imagines a visual stimuli, does it also register (measurably) as a
>change in the visual part of the brain? I know that they can measure light
>hitting the retina registering in the back of the brain.... Can one "see" the
>process of this kind of imaging ( as is "seeing" a purple walrus" ) in the
>brain _ or trace it to retinal movement ( like in REM) or, more importantly
>induce or improve the abilities to "see" in one's imagination?

I recall reading, not too long ago, Science News most likely, something
about how measurements of people given some sort of imaging tasks showed
the same type of activity in the *retinal* processing areas as would
have occurred if the subject was actually viewing a real scene. In
other words, there was some sort of feedback or projection from the
visual cortex *out to* the retinal areas, the opposite of the normal
stream of signals.

Mark Crosby

>For example if one applies stimuli to the visual parts of the brain would it
>help someone "see" the purple walrus who had otherwise no ability to imaging
>visually?

>Have there been any studies about this "internal sight' that may be helpful
>to neural/retinal VR? I would think this virtual/ visual part of science -
>especially in the application of creating implants would be very important to
>someone who want s to be augmented. Or even more to the "Uploaded"....