Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2026
04:40
Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS)
Published on: July 30, 2020
Tactile perception recruits functionally related visual areas in the late-blind
Manu S Goyal1, Peter J Hansen, Colin B Blakemore
1Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA. msgoyal@gmail.com
Neuroreport
|August 26, 2006
Summary
In blind individuals, visual brain areas like hMT/V5 and the fusiform face area can be reactivated for tactile tasks. This suggests that once-established visual circuitry aids tactile identification after vision loss.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neuroplasticity
- Sensory Substitution
Background:
- The visual cortex's role in tactile processing in blind individuals is debated.
- Increased blood flow in visual areas during Braille reading suggests potential cross-modal plasticity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether specific visual areas (hMT/V5, fusiform face area) are activated by tactile stimulation in late-blind individuals.
- To determine if this activation differs between late-blind and congenitally blind individuals.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
- Participants included late-blind and congenitally blind individuals.
- Tactile stimulation involved touching objects and visual imagery tasks.
Main Results:
- In late-blind individuals, hMT/V5 activated during tactile motion perception, and the fusiform face area activated during tactile face recognition.
- Congenitally blind individuals showed no significant activation in these visual areas for equivalent tactile tasks.
Conclusions:
- Specialized visual areas, if established through prior visual experience, can be recruited to support tactile identification tasks.
- This demonstrates cross-modal plasticity where visual circuitry assists tactile processing in the absence of sight.
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