Braille News and Research

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Skin vibrations convey information to the brain much the same way as auditory system

When you walk into a darkened room, your first instinct is to feel around for a light switch. You slide your hand along the wall, feeling the transition from the doorframe to the painted drywall, and then up and down until you find the metal or plastic plate of the switch. During the process you use your sense of touch to develop an image in your mind of the wall's surface and make a better guess for where the switch is.

12 Dec 2012

Retinal reader helps blind to ‘see’ words

An implanted retinal prosthesis, consisting of an array of electrodes linked up to a video camera and wearable computer, allows blind patients to successfully “read” two-to-four letter braille words.

27 Nov 2012

Researchers stream braille patterns directly into a blind patient's retina

For the very first time researchers have streamed braille patterns directly into a blind patient's retina, allowing him to read four-letter words accurately and quickly with an ocular neuroprosthetic device.

22 Nov 2012

Direct Molecular Recognition technique can quantitate multiple DNA species

Researchers at UCLA and New York University have developed a method to detect sequence differences in individual DNA molecules by taking nanoscopic pictures of the molecules themselves.

28 Mar 2012

MEPs sign written declaration in European Parliament for accessible labelling

A record-breaking number of MEPs have signed a written declaration in the European Parliament supporting accessible labelling. This marks an important milestone for blind and partially sighted people.

5 Jul 2011

USC engineers to develop robot vision-based mobility aid for visually impaired people

For the visually impaired, navigating city streets or neighborhoods has constant challenges. And most such people still must rely on a very rudimentary technology-a simple cane-to help them make their way through a complex world.

26 May 2011

Neuroscientists document deliberate control of touch sensations in human working memory

Neuroscientists of the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have now been able for the first time to document deliberate control of touch sensations in human working memory. It has been shown that the human brain can remember several touch sensations at the same time and consciously retrieve the touch if concentration is focused on these touches.

12 May 2011

Stimulation of brain nerves accelerates learning

In a breakthrough that may aid treatment of learning impairments, strokes, tinnitus and chronic pain, UT Dallas researchers have found that brain nerve stimulation accelerates learning in laboratory tests.

15 Apr 2011

Study: Visual cortex can dramatically change its function

When your brain encounters sensory stimuli, such as the scent of your morning coffee or the sound of a honking car, that input gets shuttled to the appropriate brain region for analysis. The coffee aroma goes to the olfactory cortex, while sounds are processed in the auditory cortex.

1 Mar 2011

New study: Portion of brain responsible for reading doesn't require vision at all

The portion of the brain responsible for visual reading doesn't require vision at all, according to a new study by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and France.

23 Feb 2011

Stripe of Gennari in the blind may play greater role in processing tactile stimuli

The Stripe of Gennari develops even in those who are blind from birth and does not degenerate, despite a lack of visual input. This was discovered by Robert Trampel and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences using magnetic resonance imaging. This bundle of nerve fibers, which is approximately 0.3 mm thick, is not exclusively responsible for optic information.

23 Feb 2011

University Hospitals receives $42 million for cancer care

Jane and Lee Seidman have donated $42 million to University Hospitals (UH) the largest gift in the Cleveland-based health system's history. In recognition of this unprecedented generosity, UH is naming the "Jane and Lee Seidman Cancer Center" in their honor.

30 Nov 2010

Brain adapts to vision loss by increasing speed of tactile perception

People who are blind from birth are able to detect tactile information faster than people with normal vision, according to a study in the Oct. 27 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

27 Oct 2010

Today's OpEds: Health reform and long-term care; Health care incentives; Reasons for optimism or repeal and replace?

Our system of long-term care does not provide adequate or coordinated human services and medical treatment for our growing aging population. … Thanks to a provision of the new health care law known as the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports program, tomorrow's continuum of care does not have to be so unforgiving. For the first time, a voluntary public insurance program will be available to help adults and families pay for long-term care services (Bruce Chernof, 7/23).

26 Jul 2010

A neuro-optometric rehabilitation case report

The College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) has posted its current issue of Optometry & Vision Development online and invites all to read the full-text articles free of charge.

29 Jun 2010

New intervention method reduces self-stigma in mentally-ill patients

A new intervention, the result of a collaboration between researchers from the University of Haifa, City University of New York and Indiana University, was found to reduce the self-stigma and improve the quality of life and self-esteem among persons with serious mental illness.

15 May 2010

Cryo-EM images shed light on virus structure, function

UCLA researchers report in the April 30 edition of the journal Cell that they have imaged a virus structure at a resolution high enough to effectively "see" atoms, the first published instance of imaging biological complexes at such a resolution.

5 May 2010

President's Executive Order supports bedside access to legally designated health care agent

Aging with Dignity President Paul Malley praised President Barack Obama's Executive Order dated April 15, 2010 in which he instructs hospitals participating in Medicare/Medicaid to allow bedside access to the patient's legally designated health care agent.

17 Apr 2010

Creation of Healthcare Virtual Career Platform: Competition for $13.2M in grant funds

U.S. Department of Labor today announced a competition for approximately $13.2 million in grant funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to create and implement a virtual service-delivery platform and promote career exploration in the healthcare sector.

8 Apr 2010

Researchers working on full-page Braille display system to help blind read better

Imagine if your computer only allowed you to see one line at a time, no matter what you were doing - reading e-mail, looking at a Web site, doing research. That's the challenge facing blind computer users today. But new research from North Carolina State University is moving us closer to the development of a display system that would allow the blind to take full advantage of the Web and other computer applications.

30 Mar 2010