-Babies born with cataracts that have them removed before 6 months of age tend to grow up with good vision.

-If cataracts are removed after the 6 month sensitive period, person will have long lasting effects on the ability to perceive and recognize faces.

-Inability to recognize faces is mediated by synapse rearrangement in the visual cortex.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

- visual deprivation

- early exposure to visual patterns

Individual Differences in Experience Affect Brain Development 

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

Based on Hubel and Wiesel's research with newborn kittens, sensory deprivation during a critical developmental period can have lasting effects. In their experiment, one of a kitten's eyes was sutured closed. The area of the visual cortex that would normally receive input from that eye was instead taken over by the open eye. This demonstrates that neural connections present at birth can be lost if they do not receive sensory input, leading to functional blindness in the deprived eye.

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