Brain capable of combining natural and artificial vision

A new study has explored the ability of the brain to integrate both natural and artificial vision.

The research, which was published in Current Biology, involved recording the cortical responses of rodents implanted with a subretinal implant.
 
A projection system was used to stimulate either natural vision, artificial vision or a combination of both.

The results indicated that the brain knows how to integrate natural and artificial vision, while maintaining processing information.

Professor Yossi Mandel, from Bar-Ilan University, highlighted that the results have implications for improving the restoration of sight in age-related macular degeneration patients implanted with retinal prosthetic devices.

“The results could also have implications for future brain-machine interface applications where artificial and natural processes co-exist,” he said.

Image credit: Pixabay/Angel-Kun