Cross-modal responses in the primary visual cortex encode complex objects and correlate with tactile discrimination.

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.