title: Multivoxel pattern analysis reveals auditory motion information in MT+ of both congenitally blind and sighted individuals.
abstract: Cross-modal plasticity refers to the recruitment of cortical regions involved in the processing of one modality (e.g. vision) for processing other modalities (e.g. audition). The principles determining how and where cross-modal plasticity occurs remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate these principles by testing responses to auditory motion in visual motion area MT+ of congenitally blind and sighted individuals. Replicating previous reports, we find that MT+ as a whole shows a strong and selective responses to auditory motion in congenitally blind but not sighted individuals, suggesting that the emergence of this univariate response depends on experience. Importantly, however, multivoxel pattern analyses showed that MT+ contained information about different auditory motion conditions in both blind and sighted individuals. These results were specific to MT+ and not found in early visual cortex. Basic sensitivity to auditory motion in MT+ is thus experience-independent, which may be a basis for the region's strong cross-modal recruitment in congenital blindness.
authors: Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy ; Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Lukas
authors: L
authors: Strnad
authors: Marius V
authors: MV
authors: Peelen
authors: Marina
authors: M
authors: Bedny
authors: Alfonso
authors: A
authors: Caramazza
mesh_terms: D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D019575:Blindness, Cortical / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D060388:Support Vector Machine; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*
references: J Neurosci. 2007 Jan 3;27(1):226-33
references: 17202490
references: Curr Biol. 2010 Nov 9;20(21):1900-6
references: 20970337
references: J Neurosci. 2008 May 14;28(20):5141-8
references: 18480270
references: Neuroimage. 2006 May 15;31(1):279-85
references: 16443376
references: Neuron. 2009 Aug 13;63(3):397-405
references: 19679078
references: Comput Biomed Res. 1996 Jun;29(3):162-73
references: 8812068
references: Nat Neurosci. 2004 Nov;7(11):1266-70
references: 15467719
references: J Neurosci. 2008 Oct 29;28(44):11347-53
references: 18971476
references: Eur J Neurosci. 1998 May;10(5):1563-73
references: 9751129
references: Curr Biol. 2011 Mar 8;21(5):363-8
references: 21333539
references: Prog Brain Res. 2001;134:427-45
references: 11702559
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Mar 15;108(11):4435-40
references: 21368198
references: Cereb Cortex. 2007 Dec;17(12):2933-9
references: 17372275
references: Neuron. 2010 Oct 6;68(1):138-48
references: 20920797
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Apr 13;101(15):5658-63
references: 15064396
references: Brain Res Cogn Brain Res. 2005 Dec;25(3):650-8
references: 16298112
references: Neuron. 2006 Mar 16;49(6):815-22
references: 16543130
references: J Neurosci. 1995 Apr;15(4):3215-30
references: 7722658
references: J Cogn Neurosci. 2013 Aug;25(8):1225-34
references: 23647514
references: Hum Brain Mapp. 2012 Apr;33(4):969-78
references: 21692141
references: Cereb Cortex. 2007 Feb;17(2):457-65
references: 16581983
references: Eur J Neurosci. 2002 Sep;16(5):930-6
references: 12372029
references: Trends Cogn Sci. 2011 Mar;15(3):97-103
references: 21317022
references: Neuroimage. 2011 May 15;56(2):681-7
references: 20451630
references: Nature. 1996 Apr 11;380(6574):526-8
references: 8606771
references: Neuroimage. 2005 May 1;25(4):1325-35
references: 15850749
references: Neuroinformatics. 2009 Spring;7(1):37-53
references: 19184561