Multisensory training improves the development of spatial cognition after sight restoration from congenital cataracts

Senna, Irene and Piller, Sophia and Martolini, Chiara and Cocchi, Elena and Gori, Monica and Ernst, Marc O (2024) Multisensory training improves the development of spatial cognition after sight restoration from congenital cataracts. iScience. ISSN 2589-0042

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Abstract

Spatial cognition and mobility are typically impaired in congenitally blind individuals, as vision usually calibrates space perception by providing the most accurate distal spatial cues. We have previously shown that sight restoration from congenital bilateral cataracts guides the development of more accurate space perception, even when cataract removal occurs years after birth. However, late cataract-treated individuals do not usually reach the performance levels of the typically-sighted population. Here we developed a brief multisensory training that associated audio-visual feedback with body movements. Late cataract-treated participants quickly improved their space representation and mobility, performing as well as typically-sighted controls in most tasks. Their improvement was comparable to that of a group of blind participants, who underwent training coupling their movements with auditory feedback alone. These findings suggest that spatial cognition can be enhanced by a training program which strengthens the association between bodily movements and their sensory feedback (either auditory or audio-visual).

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information and Comments:	This is the author's accepted manuscript version of an article that was accepted for publication in iScience. The final version will be available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.109167
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Human and Digital Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User:	Irene Senna
Date Deposited:	14 Feb 2024 15:51
Last Modified:	14 Feb 2024 15:51
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/4138

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