Abstract
We review evidence for cross-modal cortical re-organization in clinical populations with hearing loss. Cross-modal plasticity refers to the ability for an intact sensory modality (e.g., vision or somatosensation) to recruit cortical brain regions from a deprived sensory modality (e.g., audition) to carry out sensory processing. We describe evidence for cross-modal changes in hearing loss across the age-spectrum and across different degrees of hearing impairment, including children with profound, bilateral deafness with cochlear implants, single-sided deafness before and after cochlear implantation, and adults with early-stage, mild-moderate, age-related hearing loss. Understanding cross-modal plasticity in the context of auditory deprivation, and the potential for reversal of these changes following intervention, may be vital in directing intervention and rehabilitation options for clinical populations with hearing loss.
Highlights
Brain plasticity is an often overlooked yet important factor that may influence clinical outcomes in hearing impaired individuals who receive intervention via hearing aids or cochlear implants
Given the functional role of frontal and pre-frontal areas in tasks of working memory and executive function, recruitment of frontal networks in early-onset hearing loss may reflect effortful listening consistent with previous results [59,60,61,62,63]. It appears that hearing loss results in diminished cortical sources in temporal regions which likely leads to an increase in listening effort and cognitive load, as evidenced by frontal recruitment observed during auditory tasks
The recurrent theme outlined in this review is that auditory deprivation results in brain re-organization, and that these brain changes may have a considerable impact on variability in clinical outcomes in patients with hearing loss
Summary
Brain plasticity is an often overlooked yet important factor that may influence clinical outcomes in hearing impaired individuals who receive intervention via hearing aids or cochlear implants. Brain plasticity provides the framework upon which rehabilitation and therapy initiatives for these clinical populations could be based. Plasticity, in its broadest form, refers to the brain’s ability to change, for neurons and networks to alter their function as a result of intrinsically or extrinsically driven factors. We review brain plasticity in hearing loss, including experience-driven plasticity, cross-modal, and intra-modal plasticity in early development and adulthood. Techniques, we provide evidence of cross-modal re-organization in patients with hearing loss across the age spectrum and discuss its possible clinical implications
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