Imagined locomotion in the blind: an functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Objective: Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in sighted individuals showed parahippocampal and fusiform activations during locomotor imagery, which were interpreted to reflect visuospatial navigation. Concurrent deactivations in multisensory vestibular and somatosensory cortical areas were interpreted to reflect suppression of vestibular and somatosensory input, in order to prevent adverse interactions of sensory signals with the optimized automated locomotion pattern. Blind subjects may use distinct sensorimotor strategies for locomotor control. Methods: We performed an fMRI study to…