The main part of the information that we get is absorbed using our eyes, what happens with our memory when performance of our eyes is reduced? Is there any research performed to check the influence of the deteriorating vision on memory performances? Thank you in advance!
Here the opposite is found
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24519485
further references (all freely available):
A strong link between speed of visual discrimination and cognitive ageing.
Ritchie SJ, Tucker-Drob EM, Deary IJ.
Curr Biol. 2014 Aug 4;24(15):R681-3. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.06.012.
Out of sight, out of mind: the case of a 62-year-old man with visual complaints and cognitive decline.
Das S, Fleisher AS, Yaari R, Seward JD, Burke AD, Brand H, Tariot PN.
Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2014;16(1). pii: PCC.13alz01625. doi: 10.4088/PCC.13alz01625. Epub 2014 Feb 27.
Low contrast visual acuity testing is associated with cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis: a cross-sectional pilot study.
Wieder L, Gäde G, Pech LM, Zimmermann H, Wernecke KD, Dörr JM, Bellmann-Strobl J, Paul F, Brandt AU.
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A randomized controlled trial of cognitive training using a visual speed of processing intervention in middle aged and older adults.
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Are age-related changes in cognitive function driven by age-related changes in sensory processing?
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The declining "vision" that you mention pertains to central (20/20 type) eyesight for details. However, many people are "big picture people" and don't require or rely on much external information to visualize a concept. So, I believe that cognitive performance might decline in a person who habitually seeks all the details and suddenly loses the ability to collect them, but that it shouldn't decline in a person who habitually thinks outside the box and isn't relying on tiny visual details. Some people habitually rely on auditory details instead. Then, there would be a third group of people who when faced with declining eyesight, would be adaptable and simply switch their mode of processing and do more cognitive processing to make up for the lack of external information. That might account for the two studies that showed opposite results.
Hello Vladimir,
One can hypothesize that the relationship exists between neurobehavioural variables, including those related to memory, and endogenous circadian rhythmicity. Blind people who are deprived of light perception have desynchronization of their biological rhythm to free running. Therefore, it is feasible that the loss of circadian rhythmicity and/or sleep homeostatic drive can result in disturbance of sleep architecture, i.e., lack of sleep stages believed to be necessary for memory consolidation, producing neurobehavioural deficits.
I do not recall studies that support these hypotheses, however.
Kind regards,
Tatyana
Thank you for such an interesting question, Vladimir!
I 'll certainly follow the thread with great interest.
As we have to face the fact that there are several types of memory learning and adaptations, we should count movement memory, hearing memory, olfactive memory, this idea of the blinds adapting to other kinds of memory is perfect, dear Tatiana . You are certainly right.
Rg Member Miranda Yeoh has published on music mnemonics to learn scientiofic subjects.
.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270454022_Musical_Mnemonics_to_Facilitate_Learning_of_Transcription_of_RNA
Hope this was useful.
Kind regards from Portugal!
Maria
Article Musical Mnemonics to Facilitate Learning of Transcription of RNA
We have addressed this issue in terms of congenital versus the late acquisition of blindness:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23416237
Behav Brain Res. 2013 May 1;244:162-5. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.02.005. Epub 2013 Feb 14.
Congenital blindness improves semantic and episodic memory.
Pasqualotto A1, Lam JS, Proulx MJ.
I think the question of whether there are online changes is an interesting one.
Dear All,
To add to the discussion re sleep and memory consolidation:
Memory can be initially formed or “encoded” by engaging with an object or performing an action, leading to the formation of the representation of the object or action within the brain. Following encoding, the memory representation can undergo several subsequent stages of development; the most commonly recognized is memory consolidation, becoming more stable.
Recent findings extend the definition of consolidation: not only stabilizing memories, but also enhancing them (Walker, 2005). The stabilization occurs largely during wake cycles (Brushers- Krug et al, 1996). The enhancement stage appears to occur primary in sleep, either restoring previously lost memories (Fenn et al, 2003) or producing additional learning (Fisher et al, 2002).
Drummond and Brown (2000) directly examined the hypothesis that sleep deprivation impairs prefrontal functions critical for effective memory encoding using fMRI to investigate the effect of 35 hour sleep deprivation on encoding of a verbal memory task. Sleep deprivation resulted in significantly worse performance on verbal learning. Surprisingly, subjects showed more prefrontal cortex activation during encoding when sleep deprived compared to when not sleep deprived. However, regions of the medial temporal lobe were significantly less activated during encoding when sleep deprived. Even more interesting, the parietal lobes, which were not activated during encoding following normal sleep, were activated after sleep deprivation. This findings suggest that sleep deprivation leads to significant behavioural impairment in verbal memory encoding and also that these impairment are mediated by overcompensation by prefrontal regions combined with the failure of the medial temporal lobe, leading to a compensatory activation of the parietal lobes.
Kind regards,
Tatyana
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