Hand explorations are determined by the characteristics of the perceptual space of real-world materials from silk to sand.

Perceiving mechanical properties of objects, i.e., how they react to physical forces, is a crucial ability in many aspects of life, from choosing an avocado to picking your clothes. There is, a wide variety of materials that differ substantially in their mechanical properties. For example, both, silk and sand deform and change shape in response to exploration forces, but each does so in very different ways. Studies show that the haptic perceptual space has multiple dimensions corresponding to the physical properties of textures, however in these experiments the range of materials or exploratory movements were restricted. Here we investigate the perceptual dimensionality in a large set of real materials in a free haptic exploration task. Thirty-two participants actively explored deformable and non-deformable materials with their hands and rated them on several attributes. Using the semantic differential technique, video analysis and linear classification, we found four haptic dimensions, each associated with a distinct set of hand and finger movements during active exploration. Taken together our findings suggest that the physical, particularly the mechanical, properties of a material systematically affect how it is explored on a much more fine-grained level than originally thought.

Homozygous LAMC3 mutation links to structural and functional changes in visual attention networks.

The occipital lobe contains a substantial part of the neural machinery involved in visual perception. Mutations in the LAMC3 gene have recently been shown to cause complex bilateral occipital cortical gyration abnormalities. However, to what extent these structural changes impact visual behavior is not known. We recorded responses for two screening test batteries targeting visual function (Leuven - Perceptual Organization Screening Test, Cortical Vision Screening Test) and measured eye fixation performance in a visual attention experiment from a patient with homozygous LAMC3 gene mutation. Using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) we quantitatively assessed the extent of structural changes brought on by the genetic mutation by comparing mean cortical curvature, cortical thickness, and gray matter volume in 34 cortical areas between patient and an age-, sex-, and education-matched control group. Anatomical connectivity between these cortical areas was investigated by a structural covariance analysis. Visual screening-, and behavioral results revealed that the patient's impairments were predominantly in visuo-spatial attention. Consistent with this, VBM and structural connectivity results revealed significant structural changes in cortical regions subserving attentional functions. We conclude that the LAMC3 gene mutation affects cortical areas beyond the occipital lobe and primarily those visual functions that involve heavily distributed networks - such as visuo-spatial attention.