Neurologist and cognitive neuroscientist Geoffrey Aguirre ’92 was featured on the cover of Philadelphia magazine's April issue as one of 64 up-and-coming doctors in the area. The story highlighted Aguirre's research and clinical work on the loss and recovery of visual ability.
In studies using functional magnetic resonance imagery (fMRI), Aguirre has shown that the human brain seems receptive to therapies that restore sight. "When we looked at the brains of people with severe visual impairment from birth," he explained to the magazine, "the part responsive to vision was remarkably preserved, which was a big surprise -- studies in animals had suggested the opposite. In humans, who are so much more visual than other organisms, that may be the result of the brain getting just enough light through the retina early in life that it hangs on to that function." Aguirre is based in the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees.
(Photo courtesy Geoffrey Aguirre ’92)
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