Switching On the Infant Brain

Babies born with cataracts cannot see well even after these are surgically removed. But within minutes, the infant brain gains the ability to see better (as reported by [ Maurer et al. ][1]), reflecting the incredible plasticity of the human brain, as explained by [Sireteanu][2] in her Perspective. This extreme dependence on sensory input from the outside for proper development also seems to be true for human hearing and for the visual and auditory system in animals. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/286/5437/108 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/286/5437/59