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Cited by 192Tactile and Sensory InteractionsMultisensory perception and integrationNeuroscience and Music Perception

Early but not late-blindness leads to enhanced auditory perception

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Wan, Catherine Y., Wood, Amanda G., Reutens, David C., Wilson, Sarah J.·2010·Neuropsychologia
DOI 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.08.016
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Abstract

The notion that blindness leads to superior non-visual abilities has been postulated for centuries. Compared to sighted individuals, blind individuals show different patterns of brain activation when performing auditory tasks. To date, no study has controlled for musical experience, which is known to influence auditory skills. The present study tested 33 blind (11 congenital, 11 early-blind, 11 late-blind) participants and 33 matched sighted controls. We showed that the performance of blind participants was better than that of sighted participants on a range of auditory perception tasks, even when musical experience was controlled for. This advantage was observed only for individuals who became blind early in life, and was even more pronounced for individuals who were blind from birth. Years of blindness did not predict task performance. Here, we provide compelling evidence that superior auditory abilities in blind individuals are not explained by musical experience alone. These results have implications for the development of sensory substitution devices, particularly for late-blind individuals.

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  • Wan et al. (2010) found enhanced auditory capacities only for those who became blind early.

    “Wan et al. (2010) tested congenitally, early and late-blind participants finding enhanced auditory capacities only for those who became blind early.”

    From Designing sensory-substitution devices: Principles, pitfalls and potential1 (2016) · cites this paper as Wan et al. (2010)

  • Participants who became blind at 14 years or later showed no benefits over sighted participants.

    “Participants who became blind at 14 years or later showed no benefits over sighted participants.”

    From Designing sensory-substitution devices: Principles, pitfalls and potential1 (2016) · cites this paper as Wan et al. (2010)

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Authors
Wan, C. Y., Wood, A. G., Reutens, D. C., & Wilson, S. J.
Affiliations
  • The University of Melbourne (AU)
  • Murdoch Children's Research Institute (AU)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
Corresponding author
Wan, Catherine Y.
ORCID
Venue
Neuropsychologia
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2010-01
Volume
48
Issue
1
Pages
344-348
ISSN
0028-3932 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.08.016
OpenAlex
W2007802578
Cited by
192
References
49
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 12
FWCI
3.87
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Neuropsychologia (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • The Melbourne Research Grant Scheme 2006
  • National Health and Medical Research Council Clinical Research Training Fellowship (251755)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
Keywords
blindness, auditory perception, early blindness, late blindness, congenital blindness, musical experience, sensory substitution devices, cross-modal plasticity, auditory skills
MeSH terms
Acoustic Stimulation, Adult, Auditory Perception, Auditory Threshold, Blindness, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Middle Aged, Neuronal Plasticity, Neuropsychological Tests, Pitch Discrimination, Case-Control Studies, Age of Onset, Young Adult

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