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June 22, 2007
Blind People Have Superior Memory Skills
Blind People Have Superior Memory Skills
Live Science
Blind people are whizzes at remembering things in the right order, scientists now find.
In the absence of vision, the world is experienced as sequences, explained neurobiologist Ehud Zohary of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. For instance, to identify otherwise indistinguishable objects, such as different brands of yogurt that vary only in their labeling, the blind typically place objects in arrangements of their own making and give mental tags for each of them, such as “the second item on the left.”
Zohary and his colleagues reasoned that since the blind constantly use memory strategies to remember things are, that “practice makes perfect,” giving the blind superior memory skills for other tasks.
The scientists tested 19 congenitally blind and 19 sighted people in two memory tasks. In the first, the volunteers heard a list of 20 words and had to recall them. In the second, they had to remember not just the words, but their order in the list as well.
Blind volunteers recalled 20 to 35 percent more words than sighted ones did, indicating a better memory overall. Their greatest advantage, however, was the ability to remember roughly twice as many more words in sequences according to the right order, findings detailed online June 21 in the journal Current Biology.
“Normally 20 to 30 percent of the brain is basically devoted to vision. With the congenitally blind, you have this brain area, the visual cortex, not getting its natural input,” Zohary told LiveScience. “We had shown that congenitally blind people appeared to be using the visual cortex for other needs, and now we may be seeing part of how this area is getting used for other functions, to maybe be more involved in memory and language processes.”
Wild Thing's comment..............
About 14 years ago, I woke up one morning and as I was washing my face I noticed I could not see anything out of my right eye. I mean nothing, no light nothing. Closing my left eye and trying to see from my right eye...... there was zero vision, just total blackness.
First my heart jumped a beat, fear and what the heck is going on feeling consumed me for about 2 or three minutes. My very first thought was my husband and oh how much I wish I did not have to let him know, because I knew he would worry. Then our dear animals and being a pianist there was that too. Then I knew that my husband was in the kitchen and I didn't want to worry him. So I put my makeup on, finished getting ready for work and went to the kitchen.
When he sat down I told him quietly that I could not see anything out of my right eye. No it did not hurt, there was no real pain. I had retired from modeling, acting, singing, dancing and the entire scope of showbiz that I had been in for so many years, and had opened a gift shop/ tea room in Malibu, Calif. where we lived. So he dropped me off at my shop and went on to his own job on a film he was doing stunt work on. He was very concerned and I was too, but I knew one of us had to keep cool or we would send each other into panic mode.
The eye doctor was called, appt. made. While waiting for my appt. my other eye also went blind. So now I had total blindness in both eyes. Not fun to say the least. I had the best customers in the world in my little shop and they would come in and help me wait on customers, help make change at the front desk and even answer the phone. I would make attempted jokes about not being able to see because I didn't want them to think I had given up and I hadn't.
Well the eye doctor was not good, he told me I had a 75-25 chance of getting MS and that my blindness had to stem from the MS that must be waiting dormant or something to occur.
I stood up and said thanks for your time and I started to walk out. LOL He stopped me and said to make sure he wanted to send me to UCLA to the neurological dept. to the top Doctor to get examined.
The fun started, the brain MRI was done, very tuff because you absolutely cannot move and barely breath or the film would be fuzzy. The UCLA neurological doc looked at the MRI, tested me with the point the finger thing and how many fingers am I holding up, etc. Nothing, Nada, Zippo was seen. But I felt great, otherwise very healthy.
It came down to one diagnoses from him. I had Optic Neuritis in both eyes, It is an infection of the nerve from the back of the eye to the brain. My brain MRI showed no brain tumor, that was good, and none of what is called the “silent” plaques which it would have had if I had MS or MS starting in my body. Something I did not know about MS so that was interesting. The chance of getting MS was not 50-50 but 75-25 NOT to get it. The blindness would just take time to go away as the infection healed.
He was right, I do not have MS, my blindness went away, but it took a full 1 year and 7 months. It took another 4 + years to be able to drive a car once my Peripheral vision returned.
I go once a year to an eye specialist to be checked out and I am doing great. Sometimes my eyes ache but gosh I am online between my blog and my work that I do and someone's eyes could easily ache from long hours at a computer.
All of this to say that this article I found very interesting. As I read it I wondered if even though my blindness was not permanent, thank God, but the way I think as my husband kids me about even though he loves it is almost regimented, order in all things and everything in it's place comes from like this article says too....... a mental labeling of things and able to remember things almost in a list format. I was like that before I went blind but it became stronger afterward.
If our dog and kitty play in the living room and in doing so manage to move something around, a light piece of furniture like a stool, I will automatically put it back ...in order..... without even thinking about it. I can see every item on every shelf, every book in the book shelves and know how many books to the right or left a certain book is with my eyes closed.
hmmmmmm I just think it is interesting how God prepares us for all things even if we don't know it, and how maybe there are things about each of us, that we have at our fingertips to use if an event happens in our life where we may need a certain kind of ability.
Over the years from visiting so many VA hospitals, and talking to the Veterans that were seriously injured to the point where many had to make life changes in how they did things. One thing stands out, there is an inner strength from each of them to cope and make those life changes to go on. Sure they have bad days, but everyone does, theirs are just magnified because of the added pressure of having to do things differently. There inner strength is not only important to them but it is felt by all around them. They make a difference in this world by being the person they are and learning to cope however they can. I admire them so much, more then words can say that would be adequate for how I respect them for meeting their challenges head on.
Posted by Wild Thing at June 22, 2007 12:47 AM
Comments
WOW! What a story. Every once in a while I wonder which I'd choose to lose if I had a choice: my sight or my hearing (because I love music.)
I always choose "hearing."
Glad to hear all is well with your vision now.
Posted by: vilmar at June 22, 2007 05:28 AM
Yes amen to that.
Reminds me of the man who said, 'I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet'.
I think losing sight is the most freightneing thing imaginable.
Posted by: Mark at June 22, 2007 12:10 PM
Thank you for sharing that WT. I'm so happy you are free of that disorder. We all are about 1/2 a second away from some calamity, just be thankful that you have your health. As stated, a visit to any hospital ward will expose you to someone who is worse off. Blindness is a terrifying prospect, so is MS. I spent much time wih a neighbor who had MS and alcoholism , he went downhill very fast and has since passed, but it's something I wouldn't want to live with.
Posted by: Jack at June 22, 2007 12:40 PM
Wow. What can I say?
God bless you, my dear.
Posted by: Trish at June 22, 2007 01:52 PM
Vilmar, thank you. I agree if I had to make a choice, I would pick not to hear long before I would pick not to be able to see.
Posted by: Wild Thing at June 22, 2007 02:25 PM
Mark it is terrifying, seeing one can always read lips and still see the beauty around and sunsets etc.
Posted by: Wild Thing at June 22, 2007 02:27 PM
Jack, thank you, I thank God every day for health and pray for health for my friends.
Posted by: Wild Thing at June 22, 2007 02:29 PM
Hi Trish, thank you so much.
Posted by: Wild Thing at June 22, 2007 02:29 PM
Wild Thing, I had to stop and think a while about this post. I am so glad your neuritis was a temporary disorder. In Vietnam our morbid discussions would turn to "what is the worst wound?" Blindness was considered the worst, then loss of both arms and other disabilites.
I have known a number of people with MS. Even if they are not very affected, they live with the constant fear of will it get worse, when, how bad?? It can even lead to death.
You sure dodged a bullet and I am glad. It is neat that you found out how great your customers in the gift shop were. I have a disability and 95+% of people I run across are willing to help me if I need it. The other 5% are lawyers(a joke, ha, ha)
Posted by: TomR at June 22, 2007 03:32 PM
Tom,LMAO....that is so funny about the lawyers...........heh heh........
Tom, thank you, I am glad too. I won't say it was not scary, but I have been so very fortunate.
You are one of my Heroes Tom for so many reasons!!!!
Posted by: Wild Thing at June 23, 2007 01:20 AM
