USED METHODS
The experiments in this project make use of a technique called "fMRI", which is short for functional magnetic resonance imaging. It is a research method where images of the inside of the human body can be made from the outside. In our case, we will make images of the brain. This is performed using a magnetic field and radio waves. This involves laying down in a long tube, while you perform some tasks. With this type of scan we can visualize brain activity by looking at where in the brain the most energy is being consumed as indicated by the blood flow.
The 7T scanner at Scannexus (Maastricht, the Netherlands
Images of the brain (de Borst et al., 2012)
THE CROSSMODAL BRAIN PROJECT
We are able to receive input from many sensory modalities, including light, sound, temperature, taste, pressure, and smell. The brain has specialized areas that process incoming information from each modality. "Crossmodal brain activity" means that the sensory perception in one modality, such as hearing, causes activity in a part of the brain that is normally responsible for another sensory modality, such as seeing. In this project we investigate why and how crossmodal brain activity occurs.
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For example, is the brain used to always perceiving events in multiple modalities at the same time and does it therefore co-activate regions across the brain even when perceiving only one modality? If you think about it, seeing and hearing a person does often go together. Or do we maybe use imagination to fill in missing information from the modalities that we do not currently perceive? For example, when you hear your dog bark in the other room, do you visualize what it looks like?
We especially look into a special kind of crossmodal brain activity which occurs in people that have been blind since birth. Due to lifelong visual deprivation the blind brain has reorganized itself, such that the part of the brain that responds to visual input in sighted people is now activated by sound and touch. How is this part of the brain now organized? And can we find any parallels between crossmodal activity in blind and sighted people?
PARTICIPATING IN THE PROJECT
We are looking for
People who have been blind since birth and are between 18-65 years old.
People who are normally sighted, right-handed and between 18-65 years old.
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Would you like to participate in the project?
Then have a look at the Contact page and send me an email with the following information:
Your name
Your date of birth
Your email address
Your phone number
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You can also always contact me if you have any other questions about the project or participation.
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