TY - JOUR
T1 - Tactile-'visual' acuity of the tongue in early blind individuals
AU - Chebat, Daniel Robert
AU - Rainville, Constant
AU - Kupers, Ron
AU - Ptito, Maurice
PY - 2007/12
Y1 - 2007/12
N2 - This study compares the 'tactile-visual' acuity of the tongue for 15 early blind participants with that of 24 age-matched and sex-matched sighted controls. Snellen's tumbling E test was used to assess 'visual' acuity using the tongue display unit. The tongue display unit is a sensory substitution device that converts a visual stimulus grabbed by a camera into electro-tactile pulses delivered to the tongue via a grid made out of electrodes. No overall significant difference was found in thresholds between early blind (1/206) and sighted control (1/237) participants. We found, however, a larger proportion of early blind in the two highest visual acuity categories (1/150 and 1/90). These results extend earlier findings that it is possible to measure visual acuity in the blind individuals using the tongue. Moreover, our data demonstrate that a subgroup of early blind participants is more efficient than controls in conveying visual information through the tongue.
AB - This study compares the 'tactile-visual' acuity of the tongue for 15 early blind participants with that of 24 age-matched and sex-matched sighted controls. Snellen's tumbling E test was used to assess 'visual' acuity using the tongue display unit. The tongue display unit is a sensory substitution device that converts a visual stimulus grabbed by a camera into electro-tactile pulses delivered to the tongue via a grid made out of electrodes. No overall significant difference was found in thresholds between early blind (1/206) and sighted control (1/237) participants. We found, however, a larger proportion of early blind in the two highest visual acuity categories (1/150 and 1/90). These results extend earlier findings that it is possible to measure visual acuity in the blind individuals using the tongue. Moreover, our data demonstrate that a subgroup of early blind participants is more efficient than controls in conveying visual information through the tongue.
KW - Blindness
KW - Cross-modal plasticity
KW - Sensory substitution
KW - Tactile-visual acuity
KW - Tongue
KW - Tongue display unit
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=36248984201&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/WNR.0b013e3282f2a63
DO - 10.1097/WNR.0b013e3282f2a63
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???
C2 - 18007183
AN - SCOPUS:36248984201
SN - 0959-4965
VL - 18
SP - 1901
EP - 1904
JO - NeuroReport
JF - NeuroReport
IS - 18
ER -