Blind And Sighted People Can Divide Living And Non-Living Processing In The Same Way!

by Aruna on  August 18, 2009 at 9:28 AM Research News
  •   Print
  •   Share
  •   Comments
  •  Text 
Even in people who have been blind since birth, the brain separates the concepts of living and non-living objects, shows a new study.

Appearing in the journal Neuron, the study suggests that the brain categorizes objects based on the different types of subsequent consideration they demand, such as whether an object is edible, or is a landmark on the way home, or is a predator to run from. They are not categorized entirely by their appearance.

"If both sighted people and people with blindness process the same ideas in the same parts of the brain, then it follows that visual experience is not necessary in order for those aspects of brain organization to develop," says Bradford Mahon, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester, and lead author of the study.

"We think this means significant parts of the brain are innately structured around a few domains of knowledge that were critical in humans' evolutionary history," the researcher adds.

Studies conducted in the past have already shown that the sights of objects like tables or mountains activate regions of the brain other than do the sights of living objects like animals or faces.

However, none of the studies had thus far shown why the brain differently categories the two categories.

Since the regions were known to activate when the objects were seen, scientists wondered if something about the visual appearance of the objects determined how the brain would process them.

Page 1 Page 1 | 2  Next
 Email Email   RSS Feeds RSS Feeds   Print this page Print   Save this page Save   Link Link   Syndicate Syndicate   Comments Comments   Bookmark and Share
 
Comment & Contribute
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters

Notify me when reply is posted
I agree to the terms and conditions
  
If you have a question about health related issues, you can now post it in our Ask An Expert section on our community website Medwonders.com and get answers from our panel of experts.
X

Medwonders Health Network

  • Health News Index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :
  • News Quick Links
News Central Health Watch
Latest Health News Health In Focus
News Category (500+) Breaking Health News
Popular News Celebrating Life
Health News and Press Release Medindia - Exclusive
News Photo Gallery India Special
News Video Gallery Lifestyle and Wellness
News From Other Resources
News Categories:  
Diabetes Health Center

Research Related News

» Lack of Vitamin D in Diet Raises Stroke Risk in Japanese-Americans » Why Bovine TB Continues to Spread Demystified in New Research
» Seaweed Pill May Help Treat Arthritis » P. Aeruginosa Infection Leads to Worse Outcomes and Increased Hospitalizations in COPD Patients
» Hormone Boosts Production of Molecules Which Fight Skin Infection » Protein Discovery Could Lead To New Vaccine for Meningitis
» Qui Vive: Intense Nuclear Radiation Threat, Scientists » 'Miracle' Diet of Reverse Engineering Epilepsy
Read More >>