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functional blindness

visual deterioration without any apparent change or disease affecting the structural integrity of the visual system: one of the most frequent symptoms in somatization disorder. In addition to loss of acuity, visual functional phenomena may include photophobia; burning, painful, or tired eyes; monocular diplopia (double vision); ptosis; blepharospasm; convergence problems; and severe concentric visual field constriction in one or both eyes. Despite the symptoms, the pupils continue to react to light, and the patient automatically avoids (i.e., is able to detect and thereby avoid) objects that would cause injury. Complete functional blindness is rare. The condition was formerly known as hysterical blindness or psychic blindness.

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Psychology term of the day

November 17th 2024

entorhinal cortex

entorhinal cortex

a region of cerebral cortex in the ventromedial portion of the temporal lobe. It has reciprocal connections with the hippocampal formation and various other cortical and subcortical structures and is an integral component of the medial temporal lobe memory system. It is also involved in spatial navigation. Lesions in this area are used to study neural plasticity and working memory; they are also seen in temporal lobe epilepsy and the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.