title: Neural correlates associated with superior tactile symmetry perception in the early blind.
abstract: Symmetry is an organizational principle that is ubiquitous throughout the visual world. However, this property can also be detected through non-visual modalities such as touch. The role of prior visual experience on detecting tactile patterns containing symmetry remains unclear. We compared the behavioral performance of early blind and sighted (blindfolded) controls on a tactile symmetry detection task. The tactile patterns used were similar in design and complexity as in previous visual perceptual studies. The neural correlates associated with this behavioral task were identified with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In line with growing evidence demonstrating enhanced tactile processing abilities in the blind, we found that early blind individuals showed significantly superior performance in detecting tactile symmetric patterns compared to sighted controls. Furthermore, comparing patterns of activation between these two groups identified common areas of activation (e.g. superior parietal cortex) but key differences also emerged. In particular, tactile symmetry detection in the early blind was also associated with activation that included peri-calcarine cortex, lateral occipital (LO), and middle temporal (MT) cortex, as well as inferior temporal and fusiform cortex. These results contribute to the growing evidence supporting superior behavioral abilities in the blind, and the neural correlates associated with crossmodal neuroplasticity following visual deprivation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity. Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Harvard Medical School. 20 Staniford Street. Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Corinna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity. Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Harvard Medical School. 20 Staniford Street. Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yazzolino
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity. Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Harvard Medical School. 20 Staniford Street. Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1 - 20126, Milano, Italy.|Brain Connectivity Center, National Neurological Institute C. Mondino, Via Mondino 2, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Zaira
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
authors.affiliation: Brain Connectivity Center, National Neurological Institute C. Mondino, Via Mondino 2, Pavia, Italy.|. Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta, 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Tomaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vecchi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity. Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Harvard Medical School. 20 Staniford Street. Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Lotfi B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Merabet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001766:Blindness / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Blind; Crossmodal; Extrastriate cortex; Haptic; Lateral occipital cortex; Plasticity; Striate cortex; Symmetry; Tactile