Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2025
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Co-analysis of Brain Structure and Function using fMRI and Diffusion-weighted Imaging
Published on: November 8, 2012
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Visual experience shapes functional connectivity between occipital and non-visual networks
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|March 3, 2023
Summary
Infant visual cortices resemble those of blind adults, suggesting visual experience is crucial for developing typical brain connectivity. This challenges prior assumptions about early brain development and plasticity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Human brain plasticity allows sensory experience to shape neural function.
- Previous studies on blindness and brain function primarily involved adults, leaving developmental origins unclear.
- The study investigates whether infant visual cortices develop similarly to sighted adults or blind adults.
Conclusions:
- Visual experience is essential for the typical development of long-range functional connectivity in the human brain.
- Early visual deprivation leads to distinct patterns of functional connectivity compared to sighted development.
- The findings suggest that the brain's organizational principles are shaped by sensory input from early development onwards.
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