A solidus can have all sort of unknown and unusual consequence on people ’s perceptions , from changing their sense of smell to hallucination . In a particularly curious instance of thisperception - twisting effect , a man suffered from a stroking and developedmicropsia , a visual disorder in which objects are comprehend to be small than they actually are , like a shrunken - down miniature .
Whatever he looked at – whether it was an item in the grocery entrepot , a corridor , or even himself in the mirror – it appeared to be a fraction of its genuine sizing .
As report in a new display case study published in the journalNeurocase , a 64 - year - old man was admitted to a hospital in the Netherlands with weakness in his left weapon system . He also said that he had experienced a temporary loss of vision 11 days prior . A CT - scan of his learning ability revealed he had experienced a stroke in the occipito - parietal region , a chunk of the Einstein that deals with visual processing . Shortly after this incident , the man reported looking in the mirror and perceive himself as 70 percent of his existent size .
As another lesson , he tell physician that he opine his clothes would not go him any longer because they appeared to be too humble . Despite typically wear out medium - size apparel , he started to buy supernumerary - orotund shirts because his common size did n’t search big enough . The result was so severe he often worry whether sure corridor were too small for him to fit through .
With an undoubtedly interesting case on their handwriting , the doctors set about snoop into what was going on . In one part of their extensive probe , the team used a computer to rear how he responded to ocular stimulus . They also reach virtual test using unlike - sized cubes to gauge his sizing estimations . These tryout highlighted that the man struggled with his left visual flying field . For example , if two cubes of dissent sizes were order next to each other , he systematically conceive the left cube was smaller than the correct one .
The researchers still are n’t certain why this valet de chambre win such an acute form of micropsia , as the condition can be activate by a number of different things , from drugs to epilepsy . However , based on their experiment , they conclude that the man corroborate damage to his genius ’s ocular processing hub during his throw . In an attempt to repair the hurt andmaintain some constancy in his perceptual experience , the optic system over - compensate and created this result .
“ In sum , we suggest that the one-sided occipito - parietal infarction in our affected role has caused contra - lesional optic sensorial constipation , for which an unconscious , higher - society process stress to right at the Leontyne Price of creating a “ shrunken ” world , ” conclude the researcher in their subject field .
[ H / T : New Scientist ]
