The effect of visual deprivation on the development of the ability to understand others and form social ties

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25871059
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Cognitive science; Basic / Social brain science
• Research Institution: National Institute for Physiological Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Kitada Ryo 生理学研究所, システム脳科学研究領域, 助教 (50526027)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 視覚障害者 / 機能的磁気共鳴画像法 / 触覚 / 視覚 / 行動理解 / 視覚野

Outline of Final Research Achievements

How visual experience in early life affects the development of the ability to understand other’s behavior? In the field of developmental psychology, vision is considered to be critical. By contrast, I showed that born blind individuals can recognize simple hand actions. Moreover, the common brain regions underlying the recognition of hand shapes are activated between vision and touch. Activation of such regions were observed in both blind and sighted individuals. These results indicate that the brain networks for the recognition of other’s actions can partially develop even in the absence of early visual experience.

Free Research Field

認知神経科学