Sight Not Linked to Smell


Researchers at the University of Montreal have found that people who are blind do not have an improved sense of smell, contrary to popular myth. The scientists claim that people who are blind simply pay more attention to smells than their sighted counterparts. The findings could lead to the development of technology that could allow blind people to live more independently.

Researchers studied the response of 25 blind people to smells. They found that whilst blind people could not necessarily identify smells any better than sighted people, they processed the information in a more significant way. Researchers found that blind people used the smell information in order to configure spatial representation. They also found that blind people also used the occupational cortex, an area of the brain used to process sight, when placing the smell.

The researchers hope that their findings can be used to develop technology or “re-adaption” programmes that would help blind people to live more independently by allowing them to better negotiate space in places that will smell familiar like hairdresser’s salons, grocery shops and more.

26th April 2010

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