Backward masking in monkeys after foveal prestriate and inferior temporal cortex lesions

In the monkey, foveal prestriate and inferior temporal cortex lesions produce a profound impairment of visual discrimination learning. In this experiment, we examined whether these impairments were associated with a loss of visual sensitivity under conditions of visual masking. Backward masking curves were obtained for two monkeys before and after temporal lobe lesions and for one normal human subject. When tested under the same conditions, human and animal curves were the same. The lesions had no effect on visual masking, although they did impair visual learning.