Vision is key to spatial skills
Try to conjure a mental image of your kitchen, or imagine the route that you take to work every day. For most people, this comes so naturally that we think nothing of it, but for neuroscientists, there is still much to learn about how the brain develops this critical skill, known as spatial imagery.Sensory information from the eyes, ears, and sense of touch all contribute to our ability to imagine spatial structures, but questions remain about the influence of each sensory system. A new study from MIT neuroscientists suggests that visual input plays a special role in developing these skills, particularly for more complex tasks.By studying children in India who were born blind but whose blindness could be treated, the researchers found that the children’s ability to perform more complex spatial imagery tasks improved markedly following surgery that restored their sight.“Just four months of vision seems to have a significant...