Studies into how the brain compensates for a person’s loss of sight has found that the organ demonstrates greater versatility than previously recognized, it has been claimed.
In news that may be of interest to anti-aging physicians, it has never been clear how the senses of touch and hearing improve once vision is gone, Eurekalert notes.
However, research from the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that a loss of sight leads to "profound – but rapidly reversible" changes in the visual cortex.
Published in the journal PLOS One, the study – which involved blindfolding test subjects for five days – illustrates the adaptability of the brain.
Senior author Alvaro Pascual-Leone said: "The speed and dynamic nature of the changes we observed suggest that rather than establishing new nerve connections – which would take a long time – the visual cortex is unveiling abilities that are normally concealed when sight is intact."
In related news, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has suggested that consuming oily fish could protect eyesight.
