Some researchers took brain scans of people whose eyes had been completely blindfolded for 5 days. What did they find? Those lab subjects’ brains were already re-wiring, processing touch sensations where they used to process visual stimulation. And their touch sensitivity had improved. We call this neuroplasticity.
In her book, Sentient, Jackie Higgins compiles research like this about the implications of the ability to sense our world. We all know about the 5 senses, vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, but there are more. Animal studies point back to human possibilities and now they’re talking about some 30 senses that you and I possess. That and consciousness and cognition. That and the potential for neuroplasticity, the idea that where and how sensory information is processed in our brains can change.
Those of you who saw the movie, Daredevil (2003), might remember the scene where the blind protagonist was able to “see” the girl when it began to rain. His brain was able to hear the change in sound patterns where the rain was deflected and translate that into an “image.” In real life, John Hull, a man who had lost all his vision, describes experiencing this very thing, “Rain has a way bringing out the contours of everything; it throws a colored blanket over previously invisible things.” (58) Sound was providing the spatial sense that his vision used to.
Higgins quotes Harvard neurologist Alvaro Pascual-Leone,
“Everything we think, feel, dream, every experience we have keeps modifying the brain. Rather than written in stone, our brain is dynamic and capable of rapid change.” (76) He wonders if the part of the brain we associate with vision “might more accurately be defined as the area of the brain best able to discriminate spatial relationships and that it will use any relevant sensory input.” (80)
So, my question is, does this apply to the cognitive losses of dementia? If the brain is able to co-opt processing regions to mitigate sensory loss, is that what it sometimes does for cognitive loss?
We know that music and touch can engage the brains of folks with dementia. There are multiple interventions with documented results that Activity Professionals and Therapists use for this purpose: Drum Circle, music therapy, massage, Music & Memory®, dance, and MnemeTherapy® are a few.
I mention MnemeTherapy because I recently certified to practice it. MnemeTherapy® is an activities-based intervention. It works by engaging the person’s attention with movement, sensory and cognitive tasks, and then focusing that attention on the painting process. The directed painting process itself provides sensory stimulation through the tools and techniques used. On the surface, it provides a rewarding experience, but sometimes there’s more. Sometimes there is significant improvement in a client’s verbal skills, mobility, combativeness, spatial acuity and/or the ability to follow instructions. Why, and what is the mechanism for this improvement? How can we improve what we offer?
I would love to know what brain scans before and after MnemeTherapy, or any of our other interventions, might show. Can NAAP be the advocate to draw research projects to study activities?
©Donna Stuart, ADC, CMT November 19, 2024
Higgins, J. (2021, Reprint Edition 2022). Sentient. New York: Atria Books.
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