Brain scan math study reveals numeracy is not always linked to our vision #dyscalculia

Submitted by Judy Hanning on Sun, 2016-12-11 04:00

A study is being conducted at Johns Hopkins University about whether or not math is as critical/dependent on sight (eyesight) as we were originally lead to believe. So the basis of this study is to discover whether or not being able to see directly affects whether people are good or bad at math. One researcher claims that everybody has the ability to excel at math.

“This suggests that different areas of the brain can be repurposed,” Kanjlia said. “For example, if someone undergoes a stroke, they may lose some part of the brain, but that doesn’t mean that another part of the brain can’t pick up the slack.”
~ Shipra Kanjlia

Study finds that math ability and eyesight may be inextricable linked.

How was this study of the correlation between eyesight and math undertaken? Researchers asked blind participants and seeing participants (seeing participants were asked to put on a blindfold) and solve math problems. While this study was going on, researchers were monitoring the brain. The study showed that being able to solve math is not related to having the ability to see.

Key Takeaways:

1
Johns Hopkins University neuroscientists are asserting some paradigm shifting concepts surrounding math ability and processing.
2
They are suggesting that math may not be as visually connected as once thought before.
3
Participants in the study had their brains scanned while solving math problems and wearing a blindfold.
Read the full article here:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/math-study-brain-scan/