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The Multisensory Blind Brain

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Mobility of Visually Impaired People

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Abstract

Classic neuroanatomy teaches that the brain can be divided into five lobes with distinct sensory functions, and a couple small areas of the brain that integrate the information from the different senses. Studies into the plasticity in the blind brain have revealed that the occipital cortex is not solely reserved for visual functions. Congenitally blind people use the occipital cortex to interpret tactile, auditory and olfactory stimuli. In this chapter we also review pain and taste pathways in the blind brain. The reorganisation of the blind brain, across the usual sensory boundaries, demonstrates the amazing multisensory plasticity that can arise when development is irregular. These studies support the hypothesis that instead of being sensory-specific, cortical regions appear to be functionally specific. Understanding the role of vision within the brain can improve current rehabilitation schemes following neuronal damage. More specifically, the extensive plasticity demonstrated in the blind brain can be used to improve assistive technologies built for the blind.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Further discussions on cross-modal plasticity elicited by the stimulation of the tongue (TDU), and amodal representation of space, can be found in Chap. 6 by Chebat et al.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chaire de recherche Harland Sanders en Sciences de la Vision, École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada

    Vanessa Harrar, Sébrina Aubin & Maurice Ptito

  2. Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience (VCN Lab), Department of Behavioral Sciences & Psychology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel

    Daniel-Robert Chebat

  3. Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry and Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Maurice Ptito

  4. Brain Research and Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory, Danish Center for Sleep Medicine, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, Denmark

    Ron Kupers

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  1. Vanessa Harrar
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  2. Sébrina Aubin
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  3. Daniel-Robert Chebat
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  4. Ron Kupers
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  5. Maurice Ptito
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Correspondence to Vanessa Harrar .

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  1. Université de Rouen Normandie, Rouen, France

    Edwige Pissaloux

  2. Universidad Panamericana, Aguascalientes, Mexico

    Ramiro Velazquez

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Harrar, V., Aubin, S., Chebat, DR., Kupers, R., Ptito, M. (2018). The Multisensory Blind Brain. In: Pissaloux, E., Velazquez, R. (eds) Mobility of Visually Impaired People. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54446-5_4

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