Work

Neural Pathways Conveying Novisual Information to the Visual Cortex

Year: 2013

Type: review

Abstract: The visual cortex has been traditionally considered as a stimulus-driven, unimodal system with a hierarchical organization. However, recent animal and human studies have shown that the visual cortex responds to non-visual stimuli, especially in individuals with visual deprivation congenitally, indicating the supramodal nature of the functional representation in the visual cortex. To understand the neural substrates of the cross-modal processing of the non-visual signals in the visual cortex, we firstly showed the supramodal nature of the visual cortex. We then reviewed how the nonvisual signals reach the visual cortex. Moreover, we discussed if these non-visual pathways are reshaped by early visual deprivation. Finally, the open question about the nature (stimulus-driven or top-down) of non-visual signals is also discussed.

Source: Neural Plasticity

DOI: 10.1155/2013/864920

Authors: Wen Qin, Chunshui Yu

Institutions: Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University

Language: English

Topic: Multisensory perception and integration

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,830

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China