The Effect of Blindness on Spatial Asymmetries
The human cerebral cortex is asymmetrically organized with hemispheric lateralization pervading nearly all neural systems of the brain. Whether the lack of normal visual development affects hemispheric specialization subserving the deployment of visuospatial attention asymmetries is controversial. I...
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MDPI AG
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/10/10/662 |
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| author | Luca Rinaldi Andrea Ciricugno Lotfi B. Merabet Tomaso Vecchi Zaira Cattaneo |
| author_facet | Luca Rinaldi Andrea Ciricugno Lotfi B. Merabet Tomaso Vecchi Zaira Cattaneo |
| author_sort | Luca Rinaldi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The human cerebral cortex is asymmetrically organized with hemispheric lateralization pervading nearly all neural systems of the brain. Whether the lack of normal visual development affects hemispheric specialization subserving the deployment of visuospatial attention asymmetries is controversial. In principle, indeed, the lack of early visual experience may affect the lateralization of spatial functions, and the blind may rely on a different sensory input compared to the sighted. In this review article, we thus present a current state-of-the-art synthesis of empirical evidence concerning the effects of visual deprivation on the lateralization of various spatial processes (i.e., including line bisection, mirror symmetry, and localization tasks). Overall, the evidence reviewed indicates that spatial processes are supported by a right hemispheric network in the blind, hence, analogously to the sighted. Such a right-hemisphere dominance, however, seems more accentuated in the blind as compared to the sighted as indexed by the greater leftward bias shown in different spatial tasks. This is possibly the result of the more pronounced involvement of the right parietal cortex during spatial tasks in blind individuals compared to the sighted, as well as of the additional recruitment of the right occipital cortex, which would reflect the cross-modal plastic phenomena that largely characterize the blind brain. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:07:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0c88efad3d32490c97ac83eac20b006d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:07:15Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-0c88efad3d32490c97ac83eac20b006d2023-11-20T14:44:18ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252020-09-01101066210.3390/brainsci10100662The Effect of Blindness on Spatial AsymmetriesLuca Rinaldi0Andrea Ciricugno1Lotfi B. Merabet2Tomaso Vecchi3Zaira Cattaneo4Department of Brain and Behavioural Science, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 6, 27100 Pavia, ItalyIRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, ItalyThe Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity, Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USADepartment of Brain and Behavioural Science, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 6, 27100 Pavia, ItalyIRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, ItalyThe human cerebral cortex is asymmetrically organized with hemispheric lateralization pervading nearly all neural systems of the brain. Whether the lack of normal visual development affects hemispheric specialization subserving the deployment of visuospatial attention asymmetries is controversial. In principle, indeed, the lack of early visual experience may affect the lateralization of spatial functions, and the blind may rely on a different sensory input compared to the sighted. In this review article, we thus present a current state-of-the-art synthesis of empirical evidence concerning the effects of visual deprivation on the lateralization of various spatial processes (i.e., including line bisection, mirror symmetry, and localization tasks). Overall, the evidence reviewed indicates that spatial processes are supported by a right hemispheric network in the blind, hence, analogously to the sighted. Such a right-hemisphere dominance, however, seems more accentuated in the blind as compared to the sighted as indexed by the greater leftward bias shown in different spatial tasks. This is possibly the result of the more pronounced involvement of the right parietal cortex during spatial tasks in blind individuals compared to the sighted, as well as of the additional recruitment of the right occipital cortex, which would reflect the cross-modal plastic phenomena that largely characterize the blind brain.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/10/10/662visual deprivationhemispheric asymmetrylateralityspatial asymmetriesblindness |
| spellingShingle | Luca Rinaldi Andrea Ciricugno Lotfi B. Merabet Tomaso Vecchi Zaira Cattaneo The Effect of Blindness on Spatial Asymmetries Brain Sciences visual deprivation hemispheric asymmetry laterality spatial asymmetries blindness |
| title | The Effect of Blindness on Spatial Asymmetries |
| title_full | The Effect of Blindness on Spatial Asymmetries |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Blindness on Spatial Asymmetries |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Blindness on Spatial Asymmetries |
| title_short | The Effect of Blindness on Spatial Asymmetries |
| title_sort | effect of blindness on spatial asymmetries |
| topic | visual deprivation hemispheric asymmetry laterality spatial asymmetries blindness |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/10/10/662 |
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