@article {BHM07, title = {The Effect of Visual Experience on the Development of Functional Architecture in hMT+}, journal = {Cerebral Cortex}, volume = {17}, number = {12}, year = {2007}, note = {

[Epub ahead of print]

}, month = {March 19}, pages = {2933 - 2939}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, abstract = {

We investigated whether the visual hMT+ cortex plays a role in supramodal representation of sensory flow, not mediated by visual mental imagery. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure neural activity in sighted and congenitally blind individuals during passive perception of optic and tactile flows. Visual motion-responsive cortex, including hMT+, was identified in the lateral occipital and inferior temporal cortices of the sighted subjects by response to optic flow. Tactile flow perception in sighted subjects activated the more anterior part of these cortical regions but deactivated the more posterior part. By contrast, perception of tactile flow in blind subjects activated the full extent, including the more posterior part. These results demonstrate that activation of hMT+ and surrounding cortex by tactile flow is not mediated by visual mental imagery and that the functional organization of hMT+ can develop to subserve tactile flow perception in the absence of any visual experience. Moreover, visual experience leads to a segregation of the motion-responsive occipitotemporal cortex into an anterior subregion involved in the representation of both optic and tactile flows and a posterior subregion that processes optic flow only.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {E. Ricciardi and N. Vanello and L. Sani and C. Gentili and E. P. Scilingo and L. Landini and M. Guazzelli and A. Bicchi and J. V. Haxby and P. Pietrini} } @conference {ricciardi05:_brain, title = {Brain response to visual, tactile and auditory flow in sighted and blind individuals supports a supramodal functional organization in hMT complex}, booktitle = {Proc. 12th International Conference on Functional Mapping of Human Brain Mapping}, volume = {31}, number = {1}, year = {2006}, note = {

Florence

}, pages = {512 TH-P}, publisher = {Elsevier}, organization = {Elsevier}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {E. Ricciardi and L. Sani and C. Gentili and D. Bonino and N. Vanello and J. V. Haxby and E. Seifritz and M. Guazzelli and L. Landini and A. Bicchi and Di Salle, F and P. Pietrini} } @conference {ricciardi05:_supram_mt, title = {Supramodal response of human MT+ complex to visual and tactile perception of flow as demonstrated by fMRI studies in sighted and congenitally blind individuals}, booktitle = {11th annual meeting of the organization for Human Brain Mapping}, volume = {1}, year = {2005}, note = {

Toronto

}, pages = {129-129}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {E. Ricciardi and L. Sani and C. Gentili and N. Vanello and J. V. Haxby and L. Landini and A. Bicchi and P. Pietrini} } @conference {HBM04, title = {Perception of Optic and Tactile Flow Both Activate V5/MT cortical complex in the human brain}, booktitle = {10th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping}, year = {2004}, abstract = {

V5/MT complex responds selectively to perception of optic flow (Morrone et al., Nature Neurosci , 2001). Since similarities exist between visual and tactile perception, we hypothesized that tactile flow might also rely on V5/MT response. We and others have shown recently that visual extrastriate cortical areas respond both during visual and tactile recognition of objects, indicating that these regions are organized in a supramodal fashion. In this study, we measured neural response evoked during visual and tactile perception of coherently moving dot patterns to test the hypothesis that V5/MT may be supramodally organized and may respond also to tactile stimulation.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {N. Vanello and E. Ricciardi and D. Dente and N. Sgambelluri and E. P. Scilingo and C. Gentili and L. Sani and V. Positano and M. F. Santarelli and M. Guazzelli and J. V. Haxby and L. Landini and A. Bicchi and P. Pietrini} } @conference {RVDSSGSPSGHLBP04, title = {Perception of visual and tactile flow activates common cortical areas in the human brain.}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the EuroHaptics 2004 (Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany June 5-7, 2004)}, year = {2004}, pages = {290-292}, abstract = {

We report results of a pilot study using functional magnetic resonance imaging aimed at determining the neural correlates of tactile flow. We hypothesized that brain response to tactile flow would involve the same cortical areas (V5/MT) that respond to optic flow. Our results showed that V5/MT cortex indeed is activated by tactile flow perception. These findings are consistent with a supramodal organization of brain regions involved in optic and tactile flow processing.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {E. Ricciardi and N. Vanello and D. Dente and N. Sgambelluri and E. P. Scilingo and C. Gentili and L. Sani and V. Positano and M. F. Santarelli and M. Guazzelli and J. V. Haxby and L. Landini and A. Bicchi and P. Pietrini} }