The normally developed visual system quickly becomes engaged to process touch in response to complete loss of sight, researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have found in experiments with Braille tests.

The speed and dynamic nature of the changes they observed suggest that rather than establishing new nerve connections — which would take a long time — the visual cortex is unveiling abilities that are normally concealed when sight is intact.

These principles may also apply to other sensory loss, such as deafness or loss of function following brain injury.