Modified Origins of Cortical Projections to the Superior Colliculus in the Deaf: Dispersion of Auditory Efferents.

Authors

Blake E Butler, Department of Psychology & Brain and Mind Institute & National Centre for AudiologyFollow
Julia K Sunstrum, Psychology Undergraduate Program
Stephen G Lomber, Department of Psycholog & Brain and Mind Institute & National Centre for Audiology &Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A5C1, Canada

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-18-2018

Journal

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience

Volume

38

Issue

16

First Page

4048

Last Page

4058

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2858-17.2018

Abstract

Following the loss of a sensory modality, such as deafness or blindness, crossmodal plasticity is commonly identified in regions of the cerebrum that normally process the deprived modality. It has been hypothesized that significant changes in the patterns of cortical afferent and efferent projections may underlie these functional crossmodal changes. However, studies of thalamocortical and corticocortical connections have refuted this hypothesis, instead revealing a profound resilience of cortical afferent projections following deafness and blindness. This report is the first study of cortical outputs following sensory deprivation, characterizing cortical projections to the superior colliculus in mature cats (