http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A "sonar vision" system that enables people who are blind from birth to perceive the shape of a face, a house or even words and letters, is being developed by a team at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Using this device, the researchers have shown that, in people that are blind from birth, the areas of the cerebral cortex normally devoted to reading become activated in response to stimulation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-sonar-vision-congenitally.html Neuroscience Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:03:17 EST news273398585 Common wisdom has it that if the visual cortex in the brain is deprived of visual information in early infanthood, it may never develop properly its functional specialization, making sight restoration later in life almost impossible. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-mind-eye-scientists.html Neuroscience Wed, 07 Nov 2012 12:00:07 EST news271506734 Sensory substitution devices (SSDs) use sound or touch to help the visually impaired perceive the visual scene surrounding them. The ideal SSD would assist not only in sensing the environment but also in performing daily activities based on this input. For example, accurately reaching for a coffee cup, or shaking a friend's hand. In a new study, scientists trained blindfolded sighted participants to perform fast and accurate movements using a new SSD, called EyeMusic. Their results are published in the July issue of Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-device-images-music-individuals-vision.html Neuroscience Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:33:24 EST news260706783 A method developed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for training blind persons to "see" through the use of a sensory substitution device (SSD) has enabled those using the system to actually "read" an eye chart with letter sizes smaller than those used in determining the international standard for blindness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-shown.html Medical research Wed, 16 May 2012 11:14:15 EST news256385632