Petra Stoerig

Petra Stoerig

Biography

Dr.phil.Dr.med.habil., Professor of Experimental Biological Psychology

Petra Stoerig obtained her Doctorate Degree in philosophy, at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 1982. Afterwards at the Institute of Medical Psychology of this university, she obtained the medical habilitation (1982-1992), venia legendi: Medical Psychology and Neurophilosophy. From 1992 to 1997 Stoerig received a Werner-Heisenberg Grant of the German Research Council. Since 1997 she is Professor of Experimental Biological Psychology, Institute of Physiological Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Germany. From 1996 to 1998 she was elected President of the European Brain and Behaviour Society.

Detailed studies of how mental functions are mediated by the nervous system have become possible through the development of electrophysiological (MEG, ERP) and functional brain imaging techniques (fMRI, PET); they allow us to study not only the neuronal basis of mental functions but the difference in activation patterns evoked by conscious as opposed to unconscious processes. Using these techniques in the visual system, along with neuroanatomical, neuropsychological, and behavioural ones, Stoerig has tried to elucidate the neuronal basis of conscious as opposed to unconscious vision.

For instance, following lesions to the primary visual cortex which cause cortically blind visual fields, subjects no longer consciously see any stimuli presented within the defect, but they may nevertheless demonstrate implicit detection, localization, and discrimination --a phenomenon know as Blindsight. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of patients with Blindsight can thus contribute to our understanding of the neuronal basis of conscious visual perception. Actually, studies of what one can and cannot do with unconscious vision alone may throw a new light on the functions of conscious representations. Getting a better hold of the conscious-unconscious interaction will have important implications for our understanding of the biological evolution of consciousness.

Whether, to what extent, and how unconscious vision may be rendered conscious and what the underlying changes in activation may be (detected by using neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, neuropsychological, behavioural, and imaging techniques) is the current research topic of Petra Stoerig.

Some of her publications include:

Cowey A, Stoerig P. (1995) Blindsight in monkeys. Nature 373, 247-249.

Stoerig P. (1985) Leib und Psyche. Schöningh Verlag: Paderborn.

Stoerig P. (1996) Varieties of Vision. Trends in Neuroscience 19, 401-406.

Stoerig P, Cowey A. (1997) Blindsight in man and monkey. Brain 120, 535-559.

Weiskrantz L. (1995) Blindsight. A Case Study and Implications. Oxford University Press.

The title of Stoerig's contribution to the Cajal Conference is Vision without Awareness: Blindsight Makes a Case.

Academic Address

Institute of Physiological Psychology
Heinrich-Heine-University
Düsseldorf D-40225 Germany

E-Mail Address / URL

petra.stoerig@uni-duesseldorf.de

Some bibliography

	Petra Stoerig
	Biography
	Dr.phil.Dr.med.habil., Professor of Experimental Biological Psychology Petra Stoerig obtained her Doctorate Degree in philosophy, at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 1982. Afterwards at the Institute of Medical Psychology of this university, she obtained the medical habilitation (1982-1992), venia legendi: Medical Psychology and Neurophilosophy. From 1992 to 1997 Stoerig received a Werner-Heisenberg Grant of the German Research Council. Since 1997 she is Professor of Experimental Biological Psychology, Institute of Physiological Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Germany. From 1996 to 1998 she was elected President of the European Brain and Behaviour Society. Detailed studies of how mental functions are mediated by the nervous system have become possible through the development of electrophysiological (MEG, ERP) and functional brain imaging techniques (fMRI, PET); they allow us to study not only the neuronal basis of mental functions but the difference in activation patterns evoked by conscious as opposed to unconscious processes. Using these techniques in the visual system, along with neuroanatomical, neuropsychological, and behavioural ones, Stoerig has tried to elucidate the neuronal basis of conscious as opposed to unconscious vision. For instance, following lesions to the primary visual cortex which cause cortically blind visual fields, subjects no longer consciously see any stimuli presented within the defect, but they may nevertheless demonstrate implicit detection, localization, and discrimination --a phenomenon know as Blindsight. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of patients with Blindsight can thus contribute to our understanding of the neuronal basis of conscious visual perception. Actually, studies of what one can and cannot do with unconscious vision alone may throw a new light on the functions of conscious representations. Getting a better hold of the conscious-unconscious interaction will have important implications for our understanding of the biological evolution of consciousness. Whether, to what extent, and how unconscious vision may be rendered conscious and what the underlying changes in activation may be (detected by using neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, neuropsychological, behavioural, and imaging techniques) is the current research topic of Petra Stoerig. Some of her publications include: Cowey A, Stoerig P. (1995) Blindsight in monkeys. Nature 373, 247-249. Stoerig P. (1985) Leib und Psyche. Schöningh Verlag: Paderborn. Stoerig P. (1996) Varieties of Vision. Trends in Neuroscience 19, 401-406. Stoerig P, Cowey A. (1997) Blindsight in man and monkey. Brain 120, 535-559. Weiskrantz L. (1995) Blindsight. A Case Study and Implications. Oxford University Press. The title of Stoerig's contribution to the Cajal Conference is Vision without Awareness: Blindsight Makes a Case.
	Academic Address
	Institute of Physiological Psychology Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf D-40225 Germany
	E-Mail Address / URL
	petra.stoerig@uni-duesseldorf.de
	Some bibliography