"Touching" the brain: braille reading mitigates the SC-FC decoupling of brain networks in congenital blindness.

Abstract

Acquired experiences are crucial for brain structure and function development, with a strong covariance between them. However, how experience deprivation reorganizes the covariance between structural connectivity (SC) and functional connectivity (FC), and how newly acquired experience influences this plastic reorganization remain unclear. To address these, we recruited 21 congenitally blind (CB) participants and 21 normally sighted (NS) controls. Using multi-modal MRI and graph-theoretical analyses, we examined the topological properties, and then investigated the SC-FC coupling reorganization and its relationship with braille reading ability. Compared to the NS group, the CB group showed significant topological reorganization in structural networks and disrupted intra-hemispheric SC-FC coupling. Importantly, braille reading proficiency and earlier braille onset mitigated SC-FC decoupling, suggesting that braille reading partially rescued disrupted network. Our findings highlight dynamic network plasticity in compensating for visual loss, and underscore the importance of early braille acquisition in maintaining brain networks stability in congenital blindness.