Binocular integration of perceptually suppressed visual information in amblyopia

Abstract

AbstractAbnormal visual experience during an early critical period of visual cortex development can lead to a neurodevelopmental disorder of vision called amblyopia. A key feature of amblyopia is interocular suppression, whereby information from the amblyopic eye is blocked from conscious awareness when both eyes are open. Suppression of the amblyopic eye is thought to occur at an early stage of visual processing and to be absolute. Using a binocular rivalry paradigm, we demonstrate that suppressed visual information from the amblyopic eye remains available for binocular integration and can influence overall perception of stimuli. This finding reveals that suppressed visual information continues to be represented within the brain even when it is blocked from conscious awareness by chronic pathological suppression. These results have direct implications for the clinical management of amblyopia.