Dataset Information

A number-form area in the blind.

ABSTRACT: Distinct preference for visual number symbols was recently discovered in the human right inferior temporal gyrus (rITG). It remains unclear how this preference emerges, what is the contribution of shape biases to its formation and whether visual processing underlies it. Here we use congenital blindness as a model for brain development without visual experience. During fMRI, we present blind subjects with shapes encoded using a novel visual-to-music sensory-substitution device (The EyeMusic). Greater activation is observed in the rITG when subjects process symbols as numbers compared with control tasks on the same symbols. Using resting-state fMRI in the blind and sighted, we further show that the areas with preference for numerals and letters exhibit distinct patterns of functional connectivity with quantity and language-processing areas, respectively. Our findings suggest that specificity in the ventral 'visual' stream can emerge independently of sensory modality and visual experience, under the influence of distinct connectivity patterns.

SUBMITTER: Abboud S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4338545 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

A number-form area in the blind.

Abboud Sami S Maidenbaum Shachar S Dehaene Stanislas S Amedi Amir A

Nature communications 20150123

Distinct preference for visual number symbols was recently discovered in the human right inferior temporal gyrus (rITG). It remains unclear how this preference emerges, what is the contribution of shape biases to its formation and whether visual processing underlies it. Here we use congenital blindness as a model for brain development without visual experience. During fMRI, we present blind subjects with shapes encoded using a novel visual-to-music sensory-substitution device (The EyeMusic). Gre ...[more]

PMID: 25613599

Similar Datasets

Project description:We studied neurogliaform neurons in the stratum lacunosum moleculare of the CA1 hippocampal area. These interneurons have short stellate dendrites and an extensive axonal arbor mainly located in the stratum lacunosum moleculare. Single-cell reverse transcription-PCR showed that these neurons were GABAergic and that the majority expressed mRNA for neuropeptide Y. Most neurogliaform neurons tested were immunoreactive for alpha-actinin-2, and many stratum lacunosum moleculare interneurons coexpressed alpha-actinin-2 and neuropeptide Y. Neurogliaform neurons received monosynaptic, DNQX-sensitive excitatory input from the perforant path, and 40 Hz stimulation of this input evoked EPSCs displaying either depression or initial facilitation, followed by depression. Paired recordings performed between neurogliaform neurons showed that 85% of pairs were electrically connected and 70% were also connected via GABAergic synapses. Injection of sine waveforms into neurons during paired recordings resulted in transmission of the waveforms through the electrical synapse. Unitary IPSCs recorded from neurogliaform pairs readily fatigued, had a slow decay, and had a strong depression of the synaptic response at a 5 Hz stimulation frequency that was antagonized by the GABA(B) antagonist (2S)-3-[[(1S)-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]amino-2-hydroxypropyl](phenylmethyl) phosphinic acid (CGP55845). The amplitude of the first IPSC during the 5 Hz stimulation was also increased by CGP55845, suggesting a tonic inhibition of synaptic transmission. A small unitary GABA(B)-mediated IPSC could also be detected, providing the first evidence for such a component between GABAergic interneurons. Electron microscopic localization of the GABA(B1) subunit at neurogliaform synapses revealed the protein in both presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes. Our data disclose a novel interneuronal network well suited for modulating the flow of information between the entorhinal cortex and CA1 hippocampus.

Dataset Information

A number-form area in the blind.

Publications

A number-form area in the blind.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets