Journal
NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 451, Issue -, Pages 51-59Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.10.004
Keywords
blind; deaf; cochlear implant; cross-modal plasticity; tactile acuity; braille
Categories
Funding
- Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education [626/STYP/12/2017]
- Polish National Science Centre OPUS Grant [2017/25/B/HS6/00561]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
reorganization takes place for sensory cortices when there is no more primary input. For instance, the visual cortex in blind individuals which receives no visual input starts responding to auditory and tactile stimuli. Reorganization may improve or degrade processing of other modality inputs, via bottom-up compensational processes and top-down updating. In two experiments, we measured the spatial tactile response in a large sample of early(N = 49) and late-blind (N = 51) individuals with varying levels of Braille proficiencies, and early-deaf (N = 69) with varying levels of hearing devices against separate hearing and sighted controls. Spatial tactile responses were measured using a standard gradient orientation task on two locations, the finger and tongue. Experiments show limited to no advantage in passive tactile response for blind individuals and degradation for deaf individuals at the finger. However, the use of hearing devices decreased the tactile impairment in early deaf individuals. Also, no differences in age-related decline in both sensory-impaired groups were shown. Results show less tactile acuity differences between blind and sighted than previously reported, but supports recent reports of tactile impairment among the early-deaf. (c) 2020 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available