It is unknown whether the ability to visually distinguish between faces and nonfaces is subject to a critical period during development. Would a congenitally blind child who gains sight several years after birth be able to acquire this skill? This question has remained unanswered because of the rarity of cases of late sight onset. We had the opportunity to work with five early-blind individuals who gained sight late in childhood after treatment for dense bilateral cataracts. We tested their ability to categorize patterns as faces, using natural images that spanned a spectrum of face semblance. The results show that newly sighted individuals are unable to distinguish between faces and nonfaces immediately after sight onset, but improve markedly in the following months. These results demonstrate preserved plasticity for acquiring face/ nonface categorization ability even late in life, and set the stage for investigating the informational and neural basis of this skill acquisition.face classification | blindness | visual learning | sight restoration | plasticity
Objective Many blind children in the developing world are unable to obtain timely treatment due to lack of financial and medical resources. Can public health programs that identify and treat such children several years after the onset of blindness enhance their quality of life? The notion that visual development is subject to an early ‘critical period’ argues against this possibility. However, there are inadequate empirical data from humans on this issue. To address this need, we examined the quality of life of children living in India and who were treated for early-onset blindness (before one year of age), due to cataracts or corneal opacities. Study Design Survey study. Methods As part of an ongoing scientific effort named Project Prakash, we screened over 40,000 children in rural northern India to identify those suffering from early onset blindness. They were provided eye surgeries in a tertiary care ophthalmic center in New Delhi. We subsequently surveyed sixty-four Prakash children, ranging in age from 5 to 22 years, and obtained their responses on a multi-dimensional Quality of Life questionnaire. Results Nearly all of the subjects indicated that their quality of life had improved after treatment. Children reported marked enhancement in their mobility, independence and safety, as also in social integration. Surprisingly, we found no significant correlations between quality of life metrics and factors such as age at treatment, gender, time since treatment, and pre- and post- surgery acuity. Conclusions A key question for public health policy makers is whether a program of surgical intervention for older blind children is likely to be beneficial, or if the resources are better spent on rehabilitation via vocational training and assistive devices. The marked improvements in quality of life we find in our data strongly argue for the provision of surgical care regardless of a child’s age.
The effects of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), gibberellic acid (GA), and abscisic acid (ABA) on the morphogenesis of gametophytes of Lygodium japonicum growing as longer-than-broad biplanar plates in red light and as broader-than-long biplanar plates in blue light were studied. Addition of 2,4-D or GA to the medium induced a change in the form of gametophytes from biplanar to filamentous in red light. Gametophytes growing in a medium containing 2,4-D in blue light were longer than broad, very much like gametophytes growing in the basal medium in red light. Although ABA generally retarded the growth of gametophytes in both light regimes, its presence in a medium containing 2,4-D nullified the effect of the latter, causing gametophytes to become plate-like in red light and short and stunted in blue light. Changes in the morphology of gametophytes induced by growth hormones were accompanied by corresponding changes in their length:width ratio and cell number.
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