When written words become moving pictures: Complex visual hallucinations on stimulation of the lateral occipital lobe

Electrical stimulation of the human epileptic brain is used mainly for identification of eloquent cortical regions such as motor and speech areas. Other stimulation responses include the patient’s epileptic auras and seizures. In addition, experiential phenomena may be elicited. Here we describe the reproducible initiation of a structured complex visual hallucination on stimulation of the left lateral occipital cortex (superior part of Brodmann area 19, close to the angular gyrus of the parietal lobe). Our findings illustrate that stimulation of the left temporo-parieto-occipital junction may activate networks of visual perception (color, pattern, movement, rotation, shape, and memory) independent of the cortical hierarchy from elementary to complex information.