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

TY - JOUR

T1 - A thalamocortical pathway for fast rerouting of tactile information to occipital cortex in congenital blindness

AU - Mueller, Franziska

AU - Niso, Guiomar

AU - Samiee, Soheila

AU - Ptito, Maurice

AU - Baillet, Sylvain

AU - Kupers, Ron

PY - 2019/12/1

Y1 - 2019/12/1

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-019-13173-7

DO - 10.1038/s41467-019-13173-7

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 31727882

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 10

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

M1 - 5154

ER -