Study links reduced myelin to thicker visual cortex in blind people

The research compared imaging data from blind participants with data from sighted individuals. Differences appeared in regions normally involved in processing visual information.

measured myelin content and cortical thickness using magnetic resonance imaging techniques. The study focused on the period of early brain development when visual input typically shapes neural pathways. The results indicate that the absence of visual experience alters the typical pattern of brain maturation in these areas.

No individual researchers or institutions were named in the report. The study concludes that visual input during development contributes to normal myelination and cortical thinning in the early visual cortex.