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

Author

Listed:
  • Franziska Müller

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Guiomar Niso

    (McGill University
    Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
    Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and CIBER-BBN)

  • Soheila Samiee

    (McGill University)

  • Maurice Ptito

    (University of Copenhagen
    Université de Montréal)

  • Sylvain Baillet

    (McGill University)

  • Ron Kupers

    (University of Copenhagen
    Université de Montréal
    Yale University
    Université catholique de Louvain)

Abstract

In congenitally blind individuals, the occipital cortex responds to various nonvisual inputs. Some animal studies raise the possibility that a subcortical pathway allows fast re-routing of tactile information to the occipital cortex, but this has not been shown in humans. Here we show using magnetoencephalography (MEG) that tactile stimulation produces occipital cortex activations, starting as early as 35 ms in congenitally blind individuals, but not in blindfolded sighted controls. Given our measured thalamic response latencies of 20 ms and a mean estimated lateral geniculate nucleus to primary visual cortex transfer time of 15 ms, we claim that this early occipital response is mediated by a direct thalamo-cortical pathway. We also observed stronger directed connectivity in the alpha band range from posterior thalamus to occipital cortex in congenitally blind participants. Our results strongly suggest the contribution of a fast thalamo-cortical pathway in the cross-modal activation of the occipital cortex in congenitally blind humans.

Suggested Citation

  • Franziska Müller & Guiomar Niso & Soheila Samiee & Maurice Ptito & Sylvain Baillet & Ron Kupers, 2019. "A thalamocortical pathway for fast rerouting of tactile information to occipital cortex in congenital blindness," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-13173-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13173-7
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