title: Cross-modal responses in the primary visual cortex encode complex objects and correlate with tactile discrimination.
abstract: Cortical areas that directly receive sensory inputs from the thalamus were long thought to be exclusively dedicated to a single modality, originating separate labeled lines. In the past decade, however, several independent lines of research have demonstrated cross-modal responses in primary sensory areas. To investigate whether these responses represent behaviorally relevant information, we carried out neuronal recordings in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and primary visual cortex (V1) of rats as they performed whisker-based tasks in the dark. During the free exploration of novel objects, V1 and S1 responses carried comparable amounts of information about object identity. During execution of an aperture tactile discrimination task, tactile recruitment was slower and less robust in V1 than in S1. However, V1 tactile responses correlated significantly with performance across sessions. Altogether, the results support the notion that primary sensory areas have a preference for a given modality but can engage in meaningful cross-modal processing depending on task demand.
authors.affiliation: Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, RN 59056-450, Natal, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nivaldo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos
authors.forename: Janaina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pantoja
authors.forename: Hindiael
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Belchior
authors.forename: Fábio Viegas
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Caixeta
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Faber
authors.forename: Marco Aurelio M
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Freire
authors.forename: Vinícius Rosa
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Cota
authors.forename: Edson
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Anibal de Macedo
authors.forename: Diego A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Laplagne
authors.forename: Herman Martins
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Sidarta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*