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Gioiosa Maurno N, Phillips-Silver J, Daza González MT. Research of visual attention networks in deaf individuals: a systematic review. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1369941. [PMID: 38800679 PMCID: PMC11120974 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1369941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The impact of deafness on visual attention has been widely discussed in previous research. It has been noted that deficiencies and strengths of previous research can be attributed to temporal or spatial aspects of attention, as well as variations in development and clinical characteristics. Visual attention is categorized into three networks: orienting (exogenous and endogenous), alerting (phasic and tonic), and executive control. This study aims to contribute new neuroscientific evidence supporting this hypothesis. This paper presents a systematic review of the international literature from the past 15 years focused on visual attention in the deaf population. The final review included 24 articles. The function of the orienting network is found to be enhanced in deaf adults and children, primarily observed in native signers without cochlear implants, while endogenous orienting is observed only in the context of gaze cues in children, with no differences found in adults. Results regarding alerting and executive function vary depending on clinical characteristics and paradigms used. Implications for future research on visual attention in the deaf population are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahuel Gioiosa Maurno
- Department of Psychology, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
- CIBIS Research Center, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | | | - María Teresa Daza González
- Department of Psychology, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
- CIBIS Research Center, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
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Stringer C, Cooley F, Saunders E, Emmorey K, Schotter ER. Deaf readers use leftward information to read more efficiently: Evidence from eye tracking. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024:17470218241232407. [PMID: 38326329 DOI: 10.1177/17470218241232407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Little is known about how information to the left of fixation impacts reading and how it may help to integrate what has been read into the context of the sentence. To better understand the role of this leftward information and how it may be beneficial during reading, we compared the sizes of the leftward span for reading-matched deaf signers (n = 32) and hearing adults (n = 40) using a gaze-contingent moving window paradigm with windows of 1, 4, 7, 10, and 13 characters to the left, as well as a no-window condition. All deaf participants were prelingually and profoundly deaf, used American Sign Language (ASL) as a primary means of communication, and were exposed to ASL before age eight. Analysis of reading rates indicated that deaf readers had a leftward span of 10 characters, compared to four characters for hearing readers, and the size of the span was positively related to reading comprehension ability for deaf but not hearing readers. These findings suggest that deaf readers may engage in continued word processing of information obtained to the left of fixation, making reading more efficient, and showing a qualitatively different reading process than hearing readers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey Stringer
- Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Frances Cooley
- Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Emily Saunders
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Karen Emmorey
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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Huang J, Yang L, Li K, Li Y, Dai L, Wang T. Reduced attentional inhibition for peripheral distractors of angry faces under central perceptual load in deaf individuals: evidence from an event-related potentials study. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1162488. [PMID: 37662637 PMCID: PMC10469715 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1162488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Studies have shown that deaf individuals distribute more attention to the peripheral visual field and exhibit enhanced visual processing for peripheral stimuli relative to hearing individuals. This leads to better detection of peripheral target motion and simple static stimuli in hearing individuals. However, when threatening faces that represent dangerous signals appear as non-targets in the periphery, it remains unclear whether deaf individuals would retain an advantage over hearing individuals in detecting them. Methods In this study, 23 deaf and 28 hearing college students were included. A modified perceptual load paradigm and event-related potentials (ERPs) were adopted. In the task, participants were instructed to search for a target letter in a central letter array, while task-irrelevant face distractors (happy, neutral, and angry faces) were simultaneously presented in the periphery while the central perceptual load was manipulated. Results Behavioral data showed that angry faces slowed deaf participants' responses to the target while facilitating the responses of hearing participants. At the electrophysiological level, we found modulation of P1 amplitude by central load only in hearing individuals. Interestingly, larger interference from angry face distractors was associated with higher P1 differential amplitude only in deaf individuals. Additionally, the amplitude of N170 for happy face distractors was smaller than that for angry and neutral face distractors in deaf participants. Conclusion The present data demonstrates that, despite being under central perceptual load, deaf individuals exhibit less attentional inhibition to peripheral, goal-irrelevant angry faces than hearing individuals. The result may reflect a compensatory mechanism in which, in the absence of auditory alertness to danger, the detection of visually threatening information outside of the current attentional focus has a high priority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Huang
- School of Education Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Psychological Diagnosis and Education Technology for Children With Special Needs, Chongqing, China
| | - Linhui Yang
- School of Education Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Changsha Special Education School, Changsha, China
| | - Kuiliang Li
- School of Education Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Psychological Diagnosis and Education Technology for Children With Special Needs, Chongqing, China
| | - Yaling Li
- School of Education Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Psychological Diagnosis and Education Technology for Children With Special Needs, Chongqing, China
| | - Lan Dai
- School of Education Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Banan Special Education School, Chongqing, China
| | - Tao Wang
- School of Education Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Psychological Diagnosis and Education Technology for Children With Special Needs, Chongqing, China
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Lai K, Liu J, Wang J, Zheng Y, Liang M, Wang S. Resting-state EEG reveals global network deficiency in prelingually deaf children with late cochlear implantation. Front Pediatr 2022; 10:909069. [PMID: 36147821 PMCID: PMC9487891 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2022.909069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There are individual differences in rehabilitation after cochlear implantation that can be explained by brain plasticity. However, from the perspective of brain networks, the effect of implantation age on brain plasticity is unclear. The present study investigated electroencephalography functional networks in the resting state, including eyes-closed and eyes-open conditions, in 31 children with early cochlear implantation, 24 children with late cochlear implantation, and 29 children with normal hearing. Resting-state functional connectivity was measured with phase lag index, and we investigated the connectivity between the sensory regions for each frequency band. Network topology was examined using minimum spanning tree to obtain the network backbone characteristics. The results showed stronger connectivity between auditory and visual regions but reduced global network efficiency in children with late cochlear implantation in the theta and alpha bands. Significant correlations were observed between functional backbone characteristics and speech perception scores in children with cochlear implantation. Collectively, these results reveal an important effect of implantation age on the extent of brain plasticity from a network perspective and indicate that characteristics of the brain network can reflect the extent of rehabilitation of children with cochlear implantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiying Lai
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiahao Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junbo Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yiqing Zheng
- Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Maojin Liang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Suiping Wang
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China
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Lasfargues-Delannoy A, Strelnikov K, Deguine O, Marx M, Barone P. Supra-normal skills in processing of visuo-auditory prosodic information by cochlear-implanted deaf patients. Hear Res 2021; 410:108330. [PMID: 34492444 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2021.108330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Cochlear implanted (CI) adults with acquired deafness are known to depend on multisensory integration skills (MSI) for speech comprehension through the fusion of speech reading skills and their deficient auditory perception. But, little is known on how CI patients perceive prosodic information relating to speech content. Our study aimed to identify how CI patients use MSI between visual and auditory information to process paralinguistic prosodic information of multimodal speech and the visual strategies employed. A psychophysics assessment was developed, in which CI patients and hearing controls (NH) had to distinguish between a question and a statement. The controls were separated into two age groups (young and aged-matched) to dissociate any effect of aging. In addition, the oculomotor strategies used when facing a speaker in this prosodic decision task were recorded using an eye-tracking device and compared to controls. This study confirmed that prosodic processing is multisensory but it revealed that CI patients showed significant supra-normal audiovisual integration for prosodic information compared to hearing controls irrespective of age. This study clearly showed that CI patients had a visuo-auditory gain more than 3 times larger than that observed in hearing controls. Furthermore, CI participants performed better in the visuo-auditory situation through a specific oculomotor exploration of the face as they significantly fixate the mouth region more than young NH participants who fixate the eyes, whereas the aged-matched controls presented an intermediate exploration pattern equally reported between the eyes and mouth. To conclude, our study demonstrated that CI patients have supra-normal skills MSI when integrating visual and auditory linguistic prosodic information, and a specific adaptive strategy developed as it participates directly in speech content comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Lasfargues-Delannoy
- Université Fédérale de Toulouse - Université Paul Sabatier (UPS), France; UMR 5549 CerCo, UPS CNRS, France; CHU Toulouse - France, Service d'Oto Rhino Laryngologie (ORL), Otoneurologie et ORL Pédiatrique, Hôpital Pierre Paul Riquet, site Purpan France.
| | - Kuzma Strelnikov
- Université Fédérale de Toulouse - Université Paul Sabatier (UPS), France; UMR 5549 CerCo, UPS CNRS, France; CHU Toulouse, France
| | - Olivier Deguine
- Université Fédérale de Toulouse - Université Paul Sabatier (UPS), France; UMR 5549 CerCo, UPS CNRS, France; CHU Toulouse - France, Service d'Oto Rhino Laryngologie (ORL), Otoneurologie et ORL Pédiatrique, Hôpital Pierre Paul Riquet, site Purpan France
| | - Mathieu Marx
- Université Fédérale de Toulouse - Université Paul Sabatier (UPS), France; UMR 5549 CerCo, UPS CNRS, France; CHU Toulouse - France, Service d'Oto Rhino Laryngologie (ORL), Otoneurologie et ORL Pédiatrique, Hôpital Pierre Paul Riquet, site Purpan France
| | - Pascal Barone
- Université Fédérale de Toulouse - Université Paul Sabatier (UPS), France; UMR 5549 CerCo, UPS CNRS, France
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Luna S, Joubert S, Blondel M, Cecchetto C, Gagné JP. The Impact of Aging on Spatial Abilities in Deaf Users of a Sign Language. JOURNAL OF DEAF STUDIES AND DEAF EDUCATION 2021; 26:230-240. [PMID: 33221919 DOI: 10.1093/deafed/enaa034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Research involving the general population of people who use a spoken language to communicate has demonstrated that older adults experience cognitive and physical changes associated with aging. Notwithstanding the differences in the cognitive processes involved in sign and spoken languages, it is possible that aging can also affect cognitive processing in deaf signers. This research aims to explore the impact of aging on spatial abilities among sign language users. Results showed that younger signers were more accurate than older signers on all spatial tasks. Therefore, the age-related impact on spatial abilities found in the older hearing population can be generalized to the population of signers. Potential implications for sign language production and comprehension are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Luna
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal
| | - Sven Joubert
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal
| | - Marion Blondel
- Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, Structures Formelles du Langage, Université Paris 8
| | - Carlo Cecchetto
- Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, Structures Formelles du Langage, Université Paris 8
- Departement of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca
| | - Jean-Pierre Gagné
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal
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Emmorey K, Holcomb PJ, Midgley KJ. Masked ERP repetition priming in deaf and hearing readers. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 214:104903. [PMID: 33486233 PMCID: PMC8299519 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Deaf readers provide unique insights into how the reading circuit is modified by altered linguistic and sensory input. We investigated whether reading-matched deaf and hearing readers (n = 62) exhibit different ERP effects associated with orthographic to phonological mapping (N250) or lexico-semantic processes (N400). In a visual masked priming paradigm, participants performed a go/no-go categorization task; target words were preceded by repeated or unrelated primes. Prime duration and word frequency were manipulated. Hearing readers exhibited typical N250 and N400 priming effects with 50 ms primes (greater negativity for unrelated primes) and smaller effects with 100 ms primes. Deaf readers showed a surprising reversed priming effect with 50 ms primes (greater negativity for related primes), and more typical N250 and N400 effects with 100 ms primes. Correlation results suggested deaf readers with poorer phonological skills drove this effect. We suggest that weak phonological activation may create orthographic "repetition enhancement" or form/lexical competition in deaf readers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Emmorey
- School of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, CA, USA.
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8
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McCullough S, Emmorey K. Effects of deafness and sign language experience on the human brain: voxel-based and surface-based morphometry. LANGUAGE, COGNITION AND NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 36:422-439. [PMID: 33959670 PMCID: PMC8096161 DOI: 10.1080/23273798.2020.1854793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
We investigated how deafness and sign language experience affect the human brain by comparing neuroanatomical structures across congenitally deaf signers (n = 30), hearing native signers (n = 30), and hearing sign-naïve controls (n = 30). Both voxel-based and surface-based morphometry results revealed deafness-related structural changes in visual cortices (grey matter), right frontal lobe (gyrification), and left Heschl's gyrus (white matter). The comparisons also revealed changes associated with lifelong signing experience: expansions in the surface area within left anterior temporal and left occipital lobes, and a reduction in cortical thickness in the right occipital lobe for deaf and hearing signers. Structural changes within these brain regions may be related to adaptations in the neural networks involved in processing signed language (e.g. visual perception of face and body movements). Hearing native signers also had unique neuroanatomical changes (e.g. reduced gyrification in premotor areas), perhaps due to lifelong experience with both a spoken and a signed language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen McCullough
- Laboratory for Language and Cognitive Neuroscience, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Karen Emmorey
- Laboratory for Language and Cognitive Neuroscience, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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9
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Bharadwaj SV, Matzke PL, Maricle D. Effects of longstanding degraded auditory signal on visuospatial, visuomotor, and visual attention skills in adults with hearing loss. Cochlear Implants Int 2020; 22:17-28. [PMID: 32744185 DOI: 10.1080/14670100.2020.1799151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study examined the consequences of long-term auditory deprivation on visuospatial functions, visuomotor functions, and visual attention skills in adults with early-onset hearing loss. METHODS Fifteen adults with bilateral, early-onset (before age 3), severe-to-profound hearing loss who used spoken language participated in this study. Visuospatial (figure ground, form constancy, visual perception) and visuomotor functions (visuomotor integration, visual search) were examined using norm-referenced tests. Visual attention scales were examined using a computerized program, IVA plus continuous performance test. RESULTS As a group, participants performed in the average range on visuospatial and visuomotor functions when compared to normative data presented in the test instruments. However, participants demonstrated below average performance on sustained visual attention. Duration of cochlear implant use positively correlated with one of the visual attention scales, namely visual speed. CONCLUSIONS The findings of the current study suggest that adults with early-onset hearing loss may demonstrate difficulties in sustaining attention to visual information. Data also suggest that increased experience with cochlear implant may ameliorate deficits associated with visual attention. Future studies should explore challenges experienced by adults with early-onset hearing loss in their daily activities that may result from this deficit and intervention programs that may enhance visual attention skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sneha V Bharadwaj
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Texas Woman's University, P.O. Box 425737, Denton, TX 76204, USA
| | | | - Denise Maricle
- Department of Psychology & Philosophy, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX, USA
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The Cross-Modal Effects of Sensory Deprivation on Spatial and Temporal Processes in Vision and Audition: A Systematic Review on Behavioral and Neuroimaging Research since 2000. Neural Plast 2019; 2019:9603469. [PMID: 31885540 PMCID: PMC6914961 DOI: 10.1155/2019/9603469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 07/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the most significant effects of neural plasticity manifests in the case of sensory deprivation when cortical areas that were originally specialized for the functions of the deprived sense take over the processing of another modality. Vision and audition represent two important senses needed to navigate through space and time. Therefore, the current systematic review discusses the cross-modal behavioral and neural consequences of deafness and blindness by focusing on spatial and temporal processing abilities, respectively. In addition, movement processing is evaluated as compiling both spatial and temporal information. We examine whether the sense that is not primarily affected changes in its own properties or in the properties of the deprived modality (i.e., temporal processing as the main specialization of audition and spatial processing as the main specialization of vision). References to the metamodal organization, supramodal functioning, and the revised neural recycling theory are made to address global brain organization and plasticity principles. Generally, according to the reviewed studies, behavioral performance is enhanced in those aspects for which both the deprived and the overtaking senses provide adequate processing resources. Furthermore, the behavioral enhancements observed in the overtaking sense (i.e., vision in the case of deafness and audition in the case of blindness) are clearly limited by the processing resources of the overtaking modality. Thus, the brain regions that were previously recruited during the behavioral performance of the deprived sense now support a similar behavioral performance for the overtaking sense. This finding suggests a more input-unspecific and processing principle-based organization of the brain. Finally, we highlight the importance of controlling for and stating factors that might impact neural plasticity and the need for further research into visual temporal processing in deaf subjects.
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Zeni S, Laudanna I, Baruffaldi F, Heimler B, Melcher D, Pavani F. Increased overt attention to objects in early deaf adults: An eye-tracking study of complex naturalistic scenes. Cognition 2019; 194:104061. [PMID: 31514103 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.104061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The study of selective attention in people with profound deafness has repeatedly documented enhanced attention to the peripheral regions of the visual field compared to hearing controls. This finding emerged from covert attention studies (i.e., without eye-movements) involving extremely simplified visual scenes and comprising few visual items. In this study, we aimed to test whether this key finding extends also to overt attention, using a more ecologically valid experimental context in which complex naturalistic images were presented for 3 s. In Experiment 1 (N = 35), all images contained a single central object superimposed on a congruent naturalistic background (e.g., a tiger in the woods). At the end of the visual exploration phase, an incidental memory task probed the participants' recollection of the seen central objects and image backgrounds. Results showed that hearing controls explored and remembered the image backgrounds more than deaf participants, who lingered on the central object to a greater extent. In Experiment 2 we aimed to disentangle if this behaviour of deaf participants reflected a bias in overt space-based attention towards the centre of the image, or instead, enhanced object-centred attention. We tested new participants (N = 42) in the visual exploration task adding images with lateralized objects, as well as images with multiple object or images without any object. Results confirmed increased exploration of objects in deaf participants. Taken together our novel findings show limitations of the well-known peripheral attention bias of deaf people and suggest that visual object-centred attention may also change after prolonged auditory deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Zeni
- Center for Mind Brain Sciences, CIMeC, University of Trento, Italy; School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, UK.
| | - Irene Laudanna
- Center for Mind Brain Sciences, CIMeC, University of Trento, Italy; Dep. of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Italy
| | | | - Benedetta Heimler
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel; Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - David Melcher
- Center for Mind Brain Sciences, CIMeC, University of Trento, Italy; Dep. of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Italy
| | - Francesco Pavani
- Center for Mind Brain Sciences, CIMeC, University of Trento, Italy; Dep. of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Italy; Integrative Multisensory Perception Action & Cognition Team, CRNL, France.
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12
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Deaf signers outperform hearing non-signers in recognizing happy facial expressions. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2019; 84:1485-1494. [DOI: 10.1007/s00426-019-01160-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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13
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Heimler B, Baruffaldi F, Bonmassar C, Venturini M, Pavani F. Multisensory Interference in Early Deaf Adults. JOURNAL OF DEAF STUDIES AND DEAF EDUCATION 2017; 22:422-433. [PMID: 28961871 DOI: 10.1093/deafed/enx025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Multisensory interactions in deaf cognition are largely unexplored. Unisensory studies suggest that behavioral/neural changes may be more prominent for visual compared to tactile processing in early deaf adults. Here we test whether such an asymmetry results in increased saliency of vision over touch during visuo-tactile interactions. About 23 early deaf and 25 hearing adults performed two consecutive visuo-tactile spatial interference tasks. Participants responded either to the elevation of the tactile target while ignoring a concurrent visual distractor at central or peripheral locations (respond to touch/ignore vision), or they performed the opposite task (respond to vision/ignore touch). Multisensory spatial interference emerged in both tasks for both groups. Crucially, deaf participants showed increased interference compared to hearing adults when they attempted to respond to tactile targets and ignore visual distractors, with enhanced difficulties with ipsilateral visual distractors. Analyses on task-order revealed that in deaf adults, interference of visual distractors on tactile targets was much stronger when this task followed the task in which vision was behaviorally relevant (respond to vision/ignore touch). These novel results suggest that behavioral/neural changes related to early deafness determine enhanced visual dominance during visuo-tactile multisensory conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetta Heimler
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Building 3, 5th Floor, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Building 3, 5th Floor, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | | | - Claudia Bonmassar
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Corso Bettini, 31, Rovereto TN 38068, Italy
| | - Marta Venturini
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Corso Bettini, 31, Rovereto TN 38068, Italy
| | - Francesco Pavani
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Corso Bettini, 31, Rovereto TN 38068, Italy
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Corso Bettini, 31, Rovereto TN 38068, Italy
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14
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Heimler B, van Zoest W, Baruffaldi F, Donk M, Rinaldi P, Caselli MC, Pavani F. Finding the balance between capture and control: Oculomotor selection in early deaf adults. Brain Cogn 2015; 96:12-27. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2015.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2014] [Revised: 03/01/2015] [Accepted: 03/07/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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15
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Linking neocortical, cognitive, and genetic variability in autism with alterations of brain plasticity: the Trigger-Threshold-Target model. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 47:735-52. [PMID: 25155242 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Revised: 07/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The phenotype of autism involves heterogeneous adaptive traits (strengths vs. disabilities), different domains of alterations (social vs. non-social), and various associated genetic conditions (syndromic vs. nonsyndromic autism). Three observations suggest that alterations in experience-dependent plasticity are an etiological factor in autism: (1) the main cognitive domains enhanced in autism are controlled by the most plastic cortical brain regions, the multimodal association cortices; (2) autism and sensory deprivation share several features of cortical and functional reorganization; and (3) genetic mutations and/or environmental insults involved in autism all appear to affect developmental synaptic plasticity, and mostly lead to its upregulation. We present the Trigger-Threshold-Target (TTT) model of autism to organize these findings. In this model, genetic mutations trigger brain reorganization in individuals with a low plasticity threshold, mostly within regions sensitive to cortical reallocations. These changes account for the cognitive enhancements and reduced social expertise associated with autism. Enhanced but normal plasticity may underlie non-syndromic autism, whereas syndromic autism may occur when a triggering mutation or event produces an altered plastic reaction, also resulting in intellectual disability and dysmorphism in addition to autism. Differences in the target of brain reorganization (perceptual vs. language regions) account for the main autistic subgroups. In light of this model, future research should investigate how individual and sex-related differences in synaptic/regional brain plasticity influence the occurrence of autism.
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Attentional spread in deaf and hearing participants: Face and object distractor processing under perceptual load. Atten Percept Psychophys 2012; 74:1312-20. [PMID: 22638944 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-012-0320-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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