Imagery and spatial processes in blindness and visual impairment

• Published in: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews Vol. 32; no. 8; pp. 1346 - 1360
• Main Authors: Cattaneo, Zaira, Vecchi, Tomaso, Cornoldi, Cesare, Mammarella, Irene, Bonino, Daniela, Ricciardi, Emiliano, Pietrini, Pietro
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Blindness; Blindness - pathology; Blindness - physiopathology; Brain - pathology; Brain - physiopathology; Cognition - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Imagery; Imagery (Psychotherapy); Medical sciences; Ophthalmology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Space Perception - physiology; Supramodal processes; Vision disorders; Vision, Low - pathology; Vision, Low - physiopathology; Visual impairments; Visuo-spatial processes; Visuo-spatial processes; Visual impairments; Imagery; Supramodal processes; Blindness; Eye disease; Visual impairment; Vision disorder; Space perception; Review
• ISSN: 0149-7634; 1873-7528
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.05.002

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.