The Japanese journal of neuropsychology

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ArticleTitle	Cross-modal plasticity revealed by functional MRI
Language	J
AuthorList	Norihiro Sadato, MD, PhD
Affiliation	National Institute of Physiological Sciences
Publication	Japanese Journal of Neuropsychology: 21 (1), 20-25, 2005
Received
Accepted
Abstract	To provide skills for communication is one of the major goals of education, particularly for those with the sensory handicapped. The brain is a dynamically changing structure in relation to learning, alterations of the peripheral input or brain injury. Noninvasive neuroimaging techniques such as PET and functional MRI depicted functional reorganization due to early deaffentation. Studies of Braille reading by the blind revealed that the tactual information process is taken in the primary and association visual cortex. Functional MRI studies of sign languages showed that the sign activated the auditory cortex of the deaf. These studies may provide biological basis for training in the handicapped, and also shed lights on how the brain organizes itself to integrate multimodal sensory input for communication.
Keywords	cerebral blood flow, PET, functional MRI, plasticity, blind, deaf, Braille reading, sign language