TY - JOUR
T1 - Imagery and spatial processes in blindness and visual impairment
AU - Cattaneo, Zaira
AU - Vecchi, Tomaso
AU - Cornoldi, Cesare
AU - Mammarella, Irene
AU - Bonino, Daniela
AU - Ricciardi, Emiliano
AU - Pietrini, Pietro
PY - 2008/10
Y1 - 2008/10
N2 - The objective of this review is to examine and evaluate recent findings on cognitive functioning (in particular imagery processes) in individuals with congenital visual impairments, including total blindness, low-vision and monocular vision. As one might expect, the performance of blind individuals in many behaviours and tasks requiring imagery can be inferior to that of sighted subjects; however, surprisingly often this is not the case. Interestingly, there is evidence that the blind often employ different cognitive mechanisms than sighted subjects, suggesting that compensatory mechanisms can overcome the limitations of sight loss. Taken together, these studies suggest that the nature of perceptual input on which we commonly rely strongly affects the organization of our mental processes. We also review recent neuroimaging studies on the neural correlates of sensory perception and mental imagery in visually impaired individuals that have cast light on the plastic functional reorganization mechanisms associated with visual deprivation.
AB - The objective of this review is to examine and evaluate recent findings on cognitive functioning (in particular imagery processes) in individuals with congenital visual impairments, including total blindness, low-vision and monocular vision. As one might expect, the performance of blind individuals in many behaviours and tasks requiring imagery can be inferior to that of sighted subjects; however, surprisingly often this is not the case. Interestingly, there is evidence that the blind often employ different cognitive mechanisms than sighted subjects, suggesting that compensatory mechanisms can overcome the limitations of sight loss. Taken together, these studies suggest that the nature of perceptual input on which we commonly rely strongly affects the organization of our mental processes. We also review recent neuroimaging studies on the neural correlates of sensory perception and mental imagery in visually impaired individuals that have cast light on the plastic functional reorganization mechanisms associated with visual deprivation.
KW - Blindness
KW - Imagery
KW - Supramodal processes
KW - Visual impairments
KW - Visuo-spatial processes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=51749108831&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.05.002
DO - 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.05.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 18571726
AN - SCOPUS:51749108831
VL - 32
SP - 1346
EP - 1360
JO - Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
JF - Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
SN - 0149-7634
IS - 8
ER -