Effects of complete monocular deprivation in visuo-spatial memory.
Monocular deprivation has been associated with both specific deficits and enhancements in visual perception and processing. In this study, performance on a visuo-spatial memory task was compared in congenitally monocular individuals and sighted control individuals viewing monocularly (i.e., patched) and binocularly. The task required the individuals to view and memorize a series of target locations on two-dimensional matrices. Overall, congenitally monocular individuals performed worse than sighted individuals (with a specific deficit in simultaneously maintaining distinct spatial representations in memory), indicating that the lack of binocular visual experience affects the way visual information is represented in visuo-spatial memory. No difference was observed between the monocular and binocular viewing control groups, suggesting that early monocular deprivation affects the development of cortical mechanisms mediating visuo-spatial cognition.
Cattaneo
Zaira
Z
Department of Psychology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy. zaira.cattaneo@unipv.it
Merabet
Lotfi B
LB
Bhatt
Ela
E
Vecchi
Tomaso
T
D000328:Adult; D001766:Blindness / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D015348:Vision, Binocular; D015349:Vision, Monocular / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*