Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Dhanik, Kalpana
• Pandey, Himanshu R
• Mishra, Mrutyunjaya
• Keshri, Amit
• Kumar, Uttam

Titel

Neural adaptations to congenital deafness: enhanced tactile discrimination through cross-modal neural plasticity - an fMRI study

Ist Teil von

• Neurological sciences, 2024-11, Vol.45 (11), p.5489-5499

Ort / Verlag

Cham: Springer International Publishing

Erscheinungsjahr

2024

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Background This study explores the compensatory neural mechanisms associated with congenital deafness through an examination of tactile discrimination abilities using high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Objective To analyze the neural substrates underlying tactile processing in congenitally deaf individuals and compare them with hearing controls. Methods Our participant pool included thirty-five congenitally deaf individuals and thirty-five hearing controls. All participants engaged in tactile discrimination tasks involving the identification of common objects by touch. We utilized an analytical suite comprising voxel-based statistics, functional connectivity multivariate/voxel pattern analysis (fc-MVPA), and seed-based connectivity analysis to examine neural activity. Results Our findings revealed pronounced neural activity in congenitally deaf participants within regions typically associated with auditory processing, including the bilateral superior temporal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, and right rolandic operculum. Additionally, unique activation and connectivity patterns were observed in the right insula and bilateral supramarginal gyrus, indicating a strategic reorganization of neural pathways for tactile information processing. Behaviorally, both groups demonstrated high accuracy in the tactile tasks, exceeding 90%. However, the deaf participants outperformed their hearing counterparts in reaction times, showcasing significantly enhanced efficiency in tactile information processing. Conclusion These insights into the brain's adaptability to sensory loss through compensatory neural reorganization highlight the intricate mechanisms by which tactile discrimination is enhanced in the absence of auditory input. Understanding these adaptations can help develop strategies to harness the brain's plasticity to improve sensory processing in individuals with sensory impairments, ultimately enhancing their quality of life through improved tactile perception and sensory integration.