The occipital cortex (OC) of early-blind humans is activated during various nonvisual perceptual and cognitive tasks, but little is known about its modular organization. Using functional MRI we tested whether processing of auditory versus tactile and spatial versus nonspatial information was dissociated in the OC of the early blind. No modality-specific OC activation was observed. However, the right middle occipital gyrus (MOG) showed a preference for spatial over nonspatial processing of both auditory and tactile stimuli. Furthermore, MOG activity was correlated with accuracy of individual sound localization performance. In sighted controls, most of extrastriate OC, including the MOG, was deactivated during auditory and tactile conditions, but the right MOG was more activated during spatial than nonspatial visual tasks. Thus, although the sensory modalities driving the neurons in the reorganized OC of blind individuals are altered, the functional specialization of extrastriate cortex is retained regardless of visual experience.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2951740PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2010.09.021DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

functional specialization
8
middle occipital
8
occipital gyrus
8
early blind
8
processing auditory
8
spatial nonspatial
8
auditory tactile
8
preserved functional
4
spatial
4
specialization spatial
4

Similar Publications

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy of the ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) procedure in treating high transsphincteric fistulas.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the success rate of LIFT treatment in 82 patients with high transsphincteric fistulas involving at least 1/3 of the external sphincter. This study was carried out across 2 centers from November 2009 to February 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rationale And Objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common pathogenesis of dementia, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered as the intermediate stage from normal elderly to AD. Early detection of MCI is an essential step for the timely intervention of AD to slow the progression of this disease. Different form previous studies in the whole-brain spontaneous activities, this research aimed to explore the low-frequency amplitude spectrum activities of patients with MCI within the default mode network (DMN), which has been involved in the process of maintaining normal cognitive function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Protein prenylation in mechanotransduction: implications for disease and therapy.

Trends Pharmacol Sci

January 2025

Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China. Electronic address:

The process by which cells translate external mechanical cues into intracellular biochemical signals involves intricate mechanisms that remain unclear. In recent years, research into post-translational modifications (PTMs) has offered valuable insights into this field, spotlighting protein prenylation as a crucial mechanism in cellular mechanotransduction and various human diseases. Protein prenylation, which involves the covalent attachment of isoprenoid groups to specific substrate proteins, profoundly affects the functions of key mechanotransduction proteins such as Rho, Ras, and lamins.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tension-induced organelle stress: an emerging target in fibrosis.

Trends Pharmacol Sci

January 2025

Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Radiation Oncology, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Fibrosis accounts for approximately one-third of disease-related deaths globally. Current therapies fail to cure fibrosis, emphasizing the need to identify new antifibrotic approaches. Fibrosis is defined by the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and resultant stiffening of tissue stroma.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In pancreatic surgery Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) represents the most dreaded complication, for which pancreatic texture is acknowledged as one of the strongest predictors. No consensual objective reference has been defined to evaluate the pancreas composition. The presented study aimed to mine histology data of the pancreatic tissue composition with AI assist and correlate it with clinic-pathological parameters derived from the RECOPANC study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!