Updated on
Summary Blind people may even be using visual parts of their brains to process the sounds.
A new study finds that blind people may even be using visual parts of their brains to process the sounds.A few blind people use echolocation which is best known in bats, which send out high-pitched sounds and then use the echoes to track their prey in the dark. The new study is the first to peer into the brains of blind people who use echolocation making clicking sounds with their tongues to tell them where obstacles are. The study finds that in two blind men who can echolocate, brain areas normally associated with vision activate when they listen to recordings of themselves echolocating. The researchers recorded their clicks and echoes as they sat near an object. The researchers found that as the men listened to the echoes, the primary visual area of their brains became more active.The study is a first step in understanding how the brain processes an ability that seemingly melds sound and sight.
