Effects of complete monocular deprivation in visuo-spatial memory

• Published in: Brain research bulletin Vol. 77; no. 2; pp. 112 - 116
• Main Authors: Cattaneo, Zaira, Merabet, Lotfi B., Bhatt, Ela, Vecchi, Tomaso
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 30.09.2008
• Subjects: Adult; Blindness - genetics; Blindness - physiopathology; Female; Humans; Male; Memory - physiology; Mental representations; Middle Aged; Monocular blindness; Neurology; Psychomotor Performance; Space Perception - physiology; Vision, Binocular; Vision, Monocular - physiology; Visual Perception - physiology; Visuo-spatial memory; Mental representations; Monocular blindness; Visuo-spatial memory
• ISSN: 0361-9230; 1873-2747; 1873-2747
• DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2008.05.009

Monocular deprivation has been associated with both specific deficits and enhancements in visual perception and processing. In this study, performance on a visuo-spatial memory task was compared in congenitally monocular individuals and sighted control individuals viewing monocularly (i.e., patched) and binocularly. The task required the individuals to view and memorize a series of target locations on two-dimensional matrices. Overall, congenitally monocular individuals performed worse than sighted individuals (with a specific deficit in simultaneously maintaining distinct spatial representations in memory), indicating that the lack of binocular visual experience affects the way visual information is represented in visuo-spatial memory. No difference was observed between the monocular and binocular viewing control groups, suggesting that early monocular deprivation affects the development of cortical mechanisms mediating visuo-spatial cognition.