Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

‘Braille’ reading by a blind volunteer by visual cortex stimulation

Abstract

THE possibility of developing functional visual prostheses was supported by the pioneering case of Brindley and Lewin1,2 and confirmed by our subsequent report on two other blind patients3.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Brindley, G. S., and Lewin, W., J. Physiol. Lond., 196, 479–493 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Brindley, G. S., Handbook of Sensory Physiology, 7 (edit. by Jung, R.), 583–594 (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Dobelle, W. H., Mladejovsky, M. G., and Girvin, J. P., Science, 183, 440–444 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Donaldson, P. E. K., IEE Proc., 120, 281–298 (1973).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Dobelle, W. H., et al., Electronics, 47, 81–86 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Dobelle, W. H., Mladejovsky, M. G., Stensaas, S. S., and Smith, J. B., Ann. Otol. Rhinol. Lar., 82, 445–463 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Guyton, D. L., and Hambrecht, F. T., Science, 181, 74–76 (1973).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Brindley, G. S., and Rushton, D. N., Trans. Am. Acad. Ophthal. Oto-lar., 78, 0P741–745 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Dobelle, W. H., and Mladejovsky, M. G., J. Physiol. Lond., 243, 553–576 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Mladejovsky, M. G., Eddington, D. K., Dobelle, W. H., and Brackmann, D. E., Trans. Am. Soc. Artif. Int. Organs, 21, 1–6 (1975).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

DOBELLE, W., MLADEJOVSKY, M., EVANS, J. et al. ‘Braille’ reading by a blind volunteer by visual cortex stimulation. Nature 259, 111–112 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/259111a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/259111a0

This article is cited by

Comments

Commenting on this article is now closed.

  1. This article is fake as is all of Dr. Dobelle's artificial vision implant research (although his other research at Ft. Detrick for the CIA is legitimate). It was put out by the CIA in 1976 to lay the foundation for a covert operation to debrief a defector (a B. Medvedev) on the Russian Nuclear program. Dr. Dobelle's research was reactivated in 2001 as cover to smuggle into Israel an export-restricted imaging device. Dr. Dobelle was, in fact, a double-agent.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing