Cortical processing of tactile language in a postlingually deaf-blind subject.
We compared neural activation detected by magnetoencephalography (MEG) during tactile presentation of words and non-words in a postlingually deaf-blind subject and six normal volunteers. The left postcentral gyrus, bilateral inferior frontal gyri, left posterior temporal lobe, right anterior temporal lobe, bilateral middle occipital gyri were activated when tactile words were presented to the right hand of the deaf-blind subject. This set of activated regions was not observed in the normal volunteers, although activation of several combinations of these regions was detected. Positron emission tomography confirmed the location of the MEG-activated areas in the deaf-blind subject. Our results demonstrated that the deaf-blind subject is heavily involved in interpreting tactile language by enhancing cortical activation of cognitive and semantic processing.
Osaki
Yasuhiro
Y
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Osaka University School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. osaki@tracer.med.osaka-u.ac.jp
Doi
Katsumi
K
Takasawa
Masashi
M
Noda
Kazuhiro
K
Nishimura
Hiroshi
H
Ihara
Aya
A
Iwaki
Takako
T
Imaizumi
Masao
M
Yoshikawa
Takuya
T
Oku
Naohiko
N
Hatazawa
Jun
J
Kubo
Takeshi
T
D000328:Adult; D001766:Blindness / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003638:Deafness / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology; D007802:Language; D007807:Language Tests; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D008369:Manual Communication; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012660:Semantics; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*