Crossmodal neuroplasticity in deafness : Evidence from animal models and clinical populations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2019
Journal
Multisensory Perception: From Laboratory to Clinic
First Page
343
Last Page
370
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.1016/B978-0-12-812492-5.00016-4
Abstract
Sensory deprivation, as in hearing loss and deafness, alters the normal development and connectivity of the central auditory system. However, the consequences of sensory deprivation are not limited to the deprived sensory modality. Deafness alters the neurodynamics within and across sensory modalities, thereby impacting real-world communication. In this chapter, the multisensory impact of deafness is first discussed in animal models, which describe a framework of crossmodal cortical plasticity between the auditory and visual/somatosensory systems. The second half of this chapter describes crossmodal plasticity in clinical populations ranging from deaf children fitted with cochlear implants to adults with age-related hearing loss, as well as the multimodal impact of these brain changes on communicative function.