title: Impairment of auditory spatial localization in congenitally blind human subjects.
abstract: Several studies have demonstrated enhanced auditory processing in the blind, suggesting that they compensate their visual impairment in part with greater sensitivity of the other senses. However, several physiological studies show that early visual deprivation can impact negatively on auditory spatial localization. Here we report for the first time severely impaired auditory localization in the congenitally blind: thresholds for spatially bisecting three consecutive, spatially-distributed sound sources were seriously compromised, on average 4.2-fold typical thresholds, and half performing at random. In agreement with previous studies, these subjects showed no deficits on simpler auditory spatial tasks or with auditory temporal bisection, suggesting that the encoding of Euclidean auditory relationships is specifically compromised in the congenitally blind. It points to the importance of visual experience in the construction and calibration of auditory spatial maps, with implications for rehabilitation strategies for the congenitally blind.
authors.affiliation: 1 Robotics Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gori
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sandini
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martinoli
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Burr
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D001766:Blindness / Q000151:congenital* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013017:Sound Localization / Q000502:physiology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: auditory localization; congenital blindness; visual deprivation cross-sensory calibration