Inhibition of return and oculomotor control in the blind

Our attentional systems orient reflexively to novel environmental stimuli. Such attentive orienting is typically followed by a prolonged period of inh ibition. known as inhibition of return (IOR), thought to be linked to the e ye movement system. It is widely believed that IOR may provide a tagging me chanism that prevents perseveration, and thus facilitates attentional searc h. Using a tactile variant of the peripheral spatial cuing paradigm, we sho w IOR in congenitally blind adults and in an individual who had no eyes. Th ese results demonstrate for the first time that spatial IOR can occur in th e absence of oculomotor control. NeuroReport 11:3043-3045 (C) 2090 Lippinco tt Williams & Wilkins.