ERIC Number: EJ971946
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Jun
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0028-3932
EISSN: N/A
Activation of the Hippocampal Complex during Tactile Maze Solving in Congenitally Blind Subjects
Gagnon, Lea; Schneider, Fabien C.; Siebner, Hartwig R.; Paulson, Olaf B.; Kupers, Ron; Ptito, Maurice
Neuropsychologia, v50 n7 p1663-1671 Jun 2012
Despite their lack of vision, congenitally blind subjects are able to build and manipulate cognitive maps for spatial navigation. It is assumed that they thereby rely more heavily on echolocation, proprioceptive signals and environmental cues such as ambient temperature and audition to compensate for their lack of vision. Little is known, however, about the neural mechanisms underlying spatial navigation in blind individuals in settings where these cues are absent. We therefore measured behavioural performance and blood oxygenation-level dependant (BOLD) responses using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in congenitally blind and blindfolded sighted participants while they navigated through a tactile multiple T-maze. Both groups learned the maze task at a similar pace. In blind participants, tactile maze navigation was associated with increased BOLD responses in the right hippocampus and parahippocampus, occipital cortex and fusiform gyrus. Blindfolded sighted controls did not show increased BOLD responses in these areas; instead they activated the caudate nucleus and thalamus. Both groups activated the precuneus during tactile maze navigation. We conclude that cross-modal plastic processes allow for the recruitment of the hippocampal complex and visual cortex in congenital blindness. (Contains 3 tables and 6 figures.)
Descriptors: Cues, Blindness, Vision, Cognitive Mapping, Brain Hemisphere Functions, Metabolism, Performance, Spatial Ability, Navigation, Responses, Diagnostic Tests, Task Analysis, Control Groups
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A