For dozens of years it has been believed that the brain is organized into "sensory areas": that is, that there is a "visual area," an "auditory area," and so forth, and that the visual area can only process visual information. It has also been believed that if people did not have an opportunity to see for a few years early on in life (for example, because they had a rare condition that caused them to be born blind), the "visual area" loses its ability to process visual information.