Deaf people `can rewire brains`

11.10.2010 [14:04]
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Baku, October 11 (AZERTAC). People deaf from birth may be able to reassign the area of their brain used for hearing to boost their sight, suggests a study.

Improved peripheral vision, often reported by deaf people, could be generated by the brain area which would normally deal with peripheral hearing. The Canadian research, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, tested the theory using congenitally deaf cats. The researcher involved said the brain did not let unused space `go to waste`. Both deaf and blind people frequently say their other senses are sharper by way of compensation. However, it has not been obvious how the brain might achieve this.

The researchers from the University of Western Ontario used their cat studies to test which parts of the brain were responsible. Their cats were given tests in which lights flashed at the very periphery of their normal vision. When only the auditory cortex - the part of the brain which normally processes sound information - was deactivated temporarily, their enhanced peripheral vision appeared to be switched off as well. Narrowing the search, the team found that the part of the auditory cortex responsible was the part which would ordinarily detect peripheral sounds.

Dr Stephen Lomber, who led the research, said: `Brain is very efficient, and doesn`t let unused space go to waste. The brain wants to compensate for the lost sense with enhancements that are beneficial. For example, if you`re deaf, you would benefit by seeing a car coming far off in your peripheral vision, because you can`t hear that car approaching from the side - the same with being to more accurately detect how fast something is moving`. He said that understanding what happens within the auditory cortex in the absence of sound information coming in could help doctors work out what is happening when someone with hearing loss is given a cochlear implant.

Deaf people `can rewire brains`

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