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Updated: Aug 1, 2026
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Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback
Published on: May 23, 2019
Visual cortical activity during tactile perception in the sighted and the visually deprived
1Departments of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA. krish.sathian@emory.edu
Developmental Psychobiology
|March 18, 2005
Summary
The visual cortex activates during touch perception in sighted individuals. This brain region shows significant plasticity, especially with early-onset blindness, indicating a critical period for sensory processing adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory processing
- Neuroplasticity
Background:
- The visual cortex is increasingly understood to be involved in non-visual sensory processing.
- Studies show visual cortex activity during tactile perception in both sighted and visually deprived individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current research on visual cortex involvement in tactile perception.
- To explore the impact of visual deprivation on sensory processing and cortical plasticity.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing neuroimaging and behavioral studies.
- Analysis of findings in sighted participants and individuals with varying degrees of visual deprivation (early and late onset).
Main Results:
- Visual cortex activation is consistently observed during tactile processing in sighted individuals.
- Visual deprivation, even of short duration, influences visual cortex activity in non-visual tasks.
- Greater neuroplasticity is evident in individuals with early-onset or congenital blindness, suggesting a critical period.
Conclusions:
- The visual cortex plays a role in tactile perception, with its recruitment influenced by visual experience.
- Significant neuroplasticity occurs in the visual cortex following visual deprivation, with critical periods for maximal expression.
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