A thalamocortical pathway for fast rerouting of tactile information to occipital cortex in congenital blindness

Franziska Müller; Guiomar Niso; Soheila Samiee; Maurice Ptito; Sylvain Baillet; Ron Kupers

doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13173-7

Nature Communications (Nov 2019)

A thalamocortical pathway for fast rerouting of tactile information to occipital cortex in congenital blindness

Franziska Müller,
Guiomar Niso,
Soheila Samiee,
Maurice Ptito,
Sylvain Baillet,
Ron Kupers

Affiliations

Franziska Müller: BRAINlab, Department of Neuroscience, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen
Guiomar Niso: McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University
Soheila Samiee: McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University
Maurice Ptito: BRAINlab, Department of Neuroscience, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen
Sylvain Baillet: McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University
Ron Kupers: BRAINlab, Department of Neuroscience, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13173-7
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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In congenitally blind people, tactile stimuli can activate the occipital (visual) cortex. Here, the authors show using magnetoencephalography (MEG) that occipital activation can occur within 35 ms following tactile stimulation, suggesting the existence of a fast thalamocortical pathway for touch in congenitally blind humans.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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