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The Journal of Neuroscience, June 1, 1998, 18(11):4417-4423
Perceptual Correlates of Changes in Cortical Representation of
Fingers in Blind Multifinger Braille Readers
Annette
Sterr1,
Matthias M.
Müller1,
Thomas
Elbert1,
Brigitte
Rockstroh1,
Christo
Pantev2, and
Edward
Taub3
1 Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz,
Fach D25, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany, 2 Institute of
Experimental Audiology, University of Münster, D-48129
Münster, Germany, and 3 Department of Psychology,
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294
The mature mammalian nervous system alters its functional
organization in a use-dependent manner. Enhanced stimulation of a body
part enlarges its cortical representational zones and may change its
topographic order. Little is known about the perceptual and behavioral
relevance of these plastic alterations in cortical organization. We
used blind Braille readers who use several fingers on each hand and who
do so for many hours each day as a model to investigate this issue.
Magnetic source imaging indicated that the cortical somatosensory
representation of the fingers was frequently topographically disordered
in these subjects; in addition, they frequently misperceived which of
these fingers was being touched by a light tactile stimulus. In
contrast, neither the disordered representation nor mislocalizations
were observed in sighted controls. Blind non-teacher Braille readers
who used only one finger for reading were not significantly different
from the sighted controls. Thus, use-dependent cortical reorganization
can be associated with functionally relevant changes in the perceptual
and behavioral capacities of the individual.
Key words:
blindness; Braille reading; cortical reorganization; somatosensory; sensory deafferentation; tactile perception; cortex; organization; Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments
Copyright © 1998 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/98/18114417-07$05.00/0
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