Deaf or blind people often report enhanced abilities in their remaining senses, but no one has explained how and why that could be. Researchers say they have discovered there is a causal link between enhanced visual abilities and reorganization of the part of the brain that usually handles auditory input in congenitally deaf cats.
The findings provide insight into the plasticity that may occur in the brains of deaf people.
Another question for those considering cochlear implants; if the brain has rewired itself to compensate for the loss of hearing, what happens when hearing is restored?
Super vision: How the deaf have it
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