Event:

The auditory dorsal stream (ADS) is a cortical brain network responsible for sensorimotor spatiotemporal processing. However, despite the important role of vestibular input when the head or body is moving through space, as well as the strong coupling between the vestibular and visual systems, very little is known about how vestibular information is integrated with auditory-motor inputs in the ADS, nor is it known to what extent this integration is affected by early visual deprivation. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and motion capture technology we show that the ADS includes an extension to parietoinsular vestibular cortex (PIVC) and to subcortical regions including basal ganglia and vestibular cerebellum. This circuit is engaged after sensorimotor synchronization training, during beat recognition, and is preserved in the early blind. The strength of activation of PIVC in the early blind correlates with a measure of lifetime physical spatial activity, suggesting that experience with vestibular stimulation via physical spatial activities might compensate for any negative effects of early blindness, and thus reinforcing the beneficial effects of mobility training. Finally, rhythmic entrainment provides an effective tool for studying auditory-vestibulomotor integration and music appreciation, and for developing music-based interventions for early blind individuals.