[PASSIVE TACTILE STIMULATION AS A WAY OF SPATIAL RECOGNITION IN SUBJECTS WITH SEVERE VISUAL IMPAIRMENT OR BLINDNESS]

Regular tactile passive stimulation increases the lasting activation of a greater number of synaptic connections (neuroplasticity) in posterior cortical areas in subjects with blidness with duration and permanence of the neuroplasticity process. Assuming that the lack of stimulation logically involves a deficit due to the cerebral hypofunctionality; in the case of blind subjects such deficit should be more pronounced in the occipital lobe responsible of human vision. We found, after long period of táctile stimulation, that the occipital lobe was activated while having at the same time a visual "qualia" subjective sensation using transcranial magnetic stimulation occipital lobe inhibition decreases visual response.