6533b835fe1ef96bd129e960
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Neuroplasticity in the Adjustment to Blindness
Roy H. HamiltonM.d. CatalaAlvaro Pascual-leoneAlvaro Pascual-leoneJosé María TormosJulian Paul Keenansubject
medicine.medical_specialtygenetic structuresBlindnessmedia_common.quotation_subjectmedicine.medical_treatmentSensory systemAudiologyBraillemedicine.diseaseeye diseasesTranscranial magnetic stimulationVisual cortexmedicine.anatomical_structureCortex (anatomy)Reading (process)NeuroplasticitymedicinePsychologymedia_commondescription
Loss of vision due to injury to the eyes results in deafferentation of very large areas of the human cortex and poses striking demands on other sensory systems to adjust to blindness in a society that heavily relies on vision. Blind subjects need to extract crucial spatial information from touch and hearing. To accomplish this, plastic trans-modal changes appear to take place by which a larger area of the sensorimotor cortex is devoted to the representation of the reading finger in Braille readers, and parts of the former visual cortex are recruited for the processing of tactile and auditory information.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-01-01 |