Cross-modal responses in the primary visual cortex encode complex objects and correlate with tactile discrimination.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 108(37): 15408-13, 2011 Sep 13.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21876148
ABSTRACT
Cortical areas that directly receive sensory inputs from the thalamus were long thought to be exclusively dedicated to a single modality, originating separate labeled lines. In the past decade, however, several independent lines of research have demonstrated cross-modal responses in primary sensory areas. To investigate whether these responses represent behaviorally relevant information, we carried out neuronal recordings in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and primary visual cortex (V1) of rats as they performed whisker-based tasks in the dark. During the free exploration of novel objects, V1 and S1 responses carried comparable amounts of information about object identity. During execution of an aperture tactile discrimination task, tactile recruitment was slower and less robust in V1 than in S1. However, V1 tactile responses correlated significantly with performance across sessions. Altogether, the results support the notion that primary sensory areas have a preference for a given modality but can engage in meaningful cross-modal processing depending on task demand.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Tato
/
Córtex Visual
/
Percepção Visual
/
Discriminação Psicológica
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2011
Tipo de documento:
Article