Blind man navigates maze
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
Scientists have discovered that a blind person can navigate through a maze of obstacles unaided using the power of "sixth" sense alone, reports BBC.
The man, left blind by a stroke, was able to intuitively walk around chairs and boxes without bumping into them using hidden pathways in the brain.
The study suggests we all use subconscious brain resources and can do things we think we are unable to do. The Harvard Medical School research is published in Current Biology.
The patient, known only as TN, was left blind after damage to the visual (striate) cortex in both hemispheres of the brain following consecutive strokes.
His eyes are normal but his brain cannot process the information they send in, rendering him totally blind.
However, he was previously known to have what is called "blindsight" - the ability to detect things in the environment without being aware of seeing them.
For instance, he responds to the facial expressions of others.
But he walks like a blind person, using a stick to track obstacles and requiring guidance by others when walking around buildings.
A video recording shows him completing the obstacle course set up by the scientists "flawlessly", without the aid of his cane or another person.
Lead researcher Dr Beatrice de Gelder of Tilburg University, The Netherlands, and Harvard Medical School, US, said TN was "not aware of doing anything exceptional" and thought all he had done was walk straight ahead along a long corridor.
It is an important message for those with brain damage in particular, she said.
The man, left blind by a stroke, was able to intuitively walk around chairs and boxes without bumping into them using hidden pathways in the brain.
The study suggests we all use subconscious brain resources and can do things we think we are unable to do. The Harvard Medical School research is published in Current Biology.
The patient, known only as TN, was left blind after damage to the visual (striate) cortex in both hemispheres of the brain following consecutive strokes.
His eyes are normal but his brain cannot process the information they send in, rendering him totally blind.
However, he was previously known to have what is called "blindsight" - the ability to detect things in the environment without being aware of seeing them.
For instance, he responds to the facial expressions of others.
But he walks like a blind person, using a stick to track obstacles and requiring guidance by others when walking around buildings.
A video recording shows him completing the obstacle course set up by the scientists "flawlessly", without the aid of his cane or another person.
Lead researcher Dr Beatrice de Gelder of Tilburg University, The Netherlands, and Harvard Medical School, US, said TN was "not aware of doing anything exceptional" and thought all he had done was walk straight ahead along a long corridor.
It is an important message for those with brain damage in particular, she said.