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A Western Australian study found no schizophrenia or other psychotic illness among 66 people blind from birth or early childhood because of damage to the brain's visual areas, known as cortical blindness. The group was small, and all were still only 14 to 35 when their records were analysed.

Schizophrenia Research, 2018

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The study, published in Schizophrenia Research in 2018 by Vera Morgan and colleagues at the University of Western Australia, followed all 467,945 children born in the state between 1980 and 2001. Of these, 1,870 developed schizophrenia and 9,120 some form of psychotic illness, a condition in which a person loses touch with reality, for example through hallucinations. None of the 66 with cortical blindness did, whereas psychotic illness did occur among people whose blindness came from the eyes themselves. The authors cautioned that the group was small and many members had not yet reached the ages when schizophrenia usually begins. One idea is that a brain adapting to early blindness becomes better at checking its expectations against reality, but this study did not test any explanation.

Türkçe oku
Batı Avustralya'da yapılan bir araştırmada, doğuştan ya da erken çocukluktan beri beynin görme bölgelerindeki hasar yüzünden kör olan 66 kişinin hiçbirinde şizofreni ya da başka bir psikotik hastalık görülmedi. Buna kortikal körlük denir. Ancak grup küçüktü ve kayıtlar incelendiğinde hepsi henüz 14 ile 35 yaş arasındaydı.
Schizophrenia Research dergisi, 2018

Araştırma, Batı Avustralya Üniversitesi'nden Vera Morgan ve ekibi tarafından 2018'de Schizophrenia Research dergisinde yayımlandı ve eyalette 1980-2001 arasında doğan 467.945 çocuğun tamamını kapsadı. Bunlardan 1.870'inde şizofreni, 9.120'sinde ise herhangi bir psikotik hastalık gelişti; psikotik hastalıkta kişi, örneğin halüsinasyonlar yüzünden gerçeklikle bağını yitirir. Kortikal körlüğü olan 66 kişinin hiçbirinde bu hastalıklar görülmedi; oysa körlüğü gözlerin kendisinden kaynaklanan kişiler arasında psikotik hastalık vardı. Yazarlar grubun küçük olduğunu ve pek çoğunun şizofreninin genellikle başladığı yaşlara henüz gelmediğini vurguladı. Erken yaşta körlüğe uyum sağlayan beynin beklentilerini gerçekle karşılaştırmakta daha usta hâle geldiği ileri sürülüyor, ama bu araştırma herhangi bir açıklamayı sınamadı.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Schizophrenia
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