Meet the researcher: Velia Cardin

In our lab, we study cognition in deaf individuals to unravel the impact that sensory developmental experience has on the organisation of cognitive networks in the brain.

The remarkable capacity of the brain for functional and structural reorganisation is known as neural plasticity. Human congenital deafness results in anatomical and functional changes that affect sensory and cognitive processing, providing unique insights into our understanding of plasticity and the brain. The vast majority of the research on neural plasticity due to deafness and blindness focuses on the consequences on sensory processing and reorganisation, with much less focus on the unique information that they provide for our understanding of cognitive processes in the brain. In our lab, we study cognition in deaf individuals to unravel the impact that sensory developmental experience has on the organisation of cognitive networks in the brain, and how these processes are differentially affected by nature and nurture.