PARIETAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO VISUAL FEATURE BINDING - EVIDENCE FROM A PATIENT WITH BILATERAL LESIONS

Neurophysiologists have documented the existence of multiple cortical areas responsive to different visual features. This modular organizati on has sparked theoretical interest in how the ''binding problem'' is solved. Recent data from a neurological patient (R.M.) with bilateral parietal-occipital lesions demonstrates that the binding problem is no t just a hypothetical construct; it can be a practical problem, as rar e as the selective inability to perceive motion or color. R.M. miscomb ines colors and shapes even under free viewing conditions and is unabl e to judge either relative or absolute visual locations. The evidence suggests that a single explanation-an inadequate spatial representatio n-can account for R.M.'s spatial judgment and feature-binding deficits .