VIVA

Vision independent of the primary visual cortex (V1), known as blind vision or blindsight, has been convincingly demonstrated in both humans and non-human primates and appears to rely on the contribution of key subcortical nodes, such as the superior colliculus and the pulvinar. These structures can modulate the activity of higher-level visual areas even in the absence of V1 input. The fruitful interaction between human research and monkey studies, already ongoing through a collaboration between the Universities of Turin and Parma, is enabling the development of a blindsight model in monkeys. This project will leverage the same animals already trained within the framework of the ongoing research program to expand the current main research agenda and address two crucial yet unresolved questions: (1) the neural dynamics underlying conscious and unconscious vision, and (2) how these dynamics can be exploited and artificially restored to promote visual awareness following lesions to V1.