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Ruttorf M, Tal Z, Amaral L, Fang F, Bi Y, Almeida J. Neuroplastic changes in functional wiring in sensory cortices of the congenitally deaf: A network analysis. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:6523-6536. [PMID: 37956260 PMCID: PMC10681644 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital sensory deprivation induces significant changes in the structural and functional organisation of the brain. These are well-characterised by cross-modal plasticity, in which deprived cortical areas are recruited to process information from non-affected sensory modalities, as well as by other neuroplastic alterations within regions dedicated to the remaining senses. Here, we analysed visual and auditory networks of congenitally deaf and hearing individuals during different visual tasks to assess changes in network community structure and connectivity patterns due to congenital deafness. In the hearing group, the nodes are clearly divided into three communities (visual, auditory and subcortical), whereas in the deaf group a fourth community consisting mainly of bilateral superior temporal sulcus and temporo-insular regions is present. Perhaps more importantly, the right lateral geniculate body, as well as bilateral thalamus and pulvinar joined the auditory community of the deaf. Moreover, there is stronger connectivity between bilateral thalamic and pulvinar and auditory areas in the deaf group, when compared to the hearing group. No differences were found in the number of connections of these nodes to visual areas. Our findings reveal substantial neuroplastic changes occurring within the auditory and visual networks caused by deafness, emphasising the dynamic nature of the sensory systems in response to congenital deafness. Specifically, these results indicate that in the deaf but not the hearing group, subcortical thalamic nuclei are highly connected to auditory areas during processing of visual information, suggesting that these relay areas may be responsible for rerouting visual information to the auditory cortex under congenital deafness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Ruttorf
- Computer Assisted Clinical MedicineHeidelberg UniversityMannheimGermany
- Mannheim Institute for Intelligent Systems in MedicineHeidelberg UniversityMannheimGermany
| | - Zohar Tal
- Proaction LaboratoryUniversity of CoimbraPortugal
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational SciencesUniversity of CoimbraPortugal
| | - Lénia Amaral
- Department of NeuroscienceGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Fang Fang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental HealthPeking UniversityBeijingChina
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchPeking UniversityBeijingChina
- Peking‐Tsinghua Center for Life SciencesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Yanchao Bi
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern, Institute for Brain ResearchBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and ConnectomicsBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
- Chinese Institute for Brain ResearchBeijingChina
| | - Jorge Almeida
- Proaction LaboratoryUniversity of CoimbraPortugal
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational SciencesUniversity of CoimbraPortugal
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Scheliga S, Kellermann T, Lampert A, Rolke R, Spehr M, Habel U. Neural correlates of multisensory integration in the human brain: an ALE meta-analysis. Rev Neurosci 2023; 34:223-245. [PMID: 36084305 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2022-0065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Previous fMRI research identified superior temporal sulcus as central integration area for audiovisual stimuli. However, less is known about a general multisensory integration network across senses. Therefore, we conducted activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis with multiple sensory modalities to identify a common brain network. We included 49 studies covering all Aristotelian senses i.e., auditory, visual, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory stimuli. Analysis revealed significant activation in bilateral superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, thalamus, right insula, and left inferior frontal gyrus. We assume these regions to be part of a general multisensory integration network comprising different functional roles. Here, thalamus operate as first subcortical relay projecting sensory information to higher cortical integration centers in superior temporal gyrus/sulcus while conflict-processing brain regions as insula and inferior frontal gyrus facilitate integration of incongruent information. We additionally performed meta-analytic connectivity modelling and found each brain region showed co-activations within the identified multisensory integration network. Therefore, by including multiple sensory modalities in our meta-analysis the results may provide evidence for a common brain network that supports different functional roles for multisensory integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Scheliga
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Thilo Kellermann
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Angelika Lampert
- Institute of Physiology, Medical Faculty RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Roman Rolke
- Department of Palliative Medicine, Medical Faculty RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Marc Spehr
- Department of Chemosensation, RWTH Aachen University, Institute for Biology, Worringerweg 3, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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Villwock A, Grin K. Somatosensory processing in deaf and deafblind individuals: How does the brain adapt as a function of sensory and linguistic experience? A critical review. Front Psychol 2022; 13:938842. [PMID: 36324786 PMCID: PMC9618853 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.938842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
How do deaf and deafblind individuals process touch? This question offers a unique model to understand the prospects and constraints of neural plasticity. Our brain constantly receives and processes signals from the environment and combines them into the most reliable information content. The nervous system adapts its functional and structural organization according to the input, and perceptual processing develops as a function of individual experience. However, there are still many unresolved questions regarding the deciding factors for these changes in deaf and deafblind individuals, and so far, findings are not consistent. To date, most studies have not taken the sensory and linguistic experiences of the included participants into account. As a result, the impact of sensory deprivation vs. language experience on somatosensory processing remains inconclusive. Even less is known about the impact of deafblindness on brain development. The resulting neural adaptations could be even more substantial, but no clear patterns have yet been identified. How do deafblind individuals process sensory input? Studies on deafblindness have mostly focused on single cases or groups of late-blind individuals. Importantly, the language backgrounds of deafblind communities are highly variable and include the usage of tactile languages. So far, this kind of linguistic experience and its consequences have not been considered in studies on basic perceptual functions. Here, we will provide a critical review of the literature, aiming at identifying determinants for neuroplasticity and gaps in our current knowledge of somatosensory processing in deaf and deafblind individuals.
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Whitton S, Kim JM, Scurry AN, Otto S, Zhuang X, Cordes D, Jiang F. Multisensory temporal processing in early deaf. Neuropsychologia 2021; 163:108069. [PMID: 34715119 PMCID: PMC8653765 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.108069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Navigating the world relies on understanding progressive sequences of multisensory events across time. Early deaf (ED) individuals are more precise in visual detection of space and motion than their normal hearing (NH) counterparts. However, whether ED individuals show altered multisensory temporal processing abilities is less clear. According to the connectome model, brain development depends on experience, and therefore the lack of audition may affect how the brain responds to remaining senses and how they are functionally connected. We used a temporal order judgment (TOJ) task to examine multisensory (visuotactile) temporal processing in ED and NH groups. We quantified BOLD responses and functional connectivity (FC) in both groups. ED and NH groups performed similarly for the visuotactile TOJ task. Bilateral posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) BOLD responses during the TOJ task were significantly larger in the ED group than in NH. Using anatomically defined pSTS seeds, our FC analysis revealed stronger somatomotor and weaker visual regional connections in the ED group than in NH during the TOJ task. These results suggest that a lack of auditory input might alter the balance of tactile and visual area FC with pSTS when a multisensory temporal task is involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Whitton
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, USA.
| | - Jung Min Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, USA
| | | | - Stephanie Otto
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, USA
| | - Xiaowei Zhuang
- Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas, USA
| | - Dietmar Cordes
- Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas, USA
| | - Fang Jiang
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, USA
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Auditory cortical micro-networks show differential connectivity during voice and speech processing in humans. Commun Biol 2021; 4:801. [PMID: 34172824 PMCID: PMC8233416 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02328-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The temporal voice areas (TVAs) in bilateral auditory cortex (AC) appear specialized for voice processing. Previous research assumed a uniform functional profile for the TVAs which are broadly spread along the bilateral AC. Alternatively, the TVAs might comprise separate AC nodes controlling differential neural functions for voice and speech decoding, organized as local micro-circuits. To investigate micro-circuits, we modeled the directional connectivity between TVA nodes during voice processing in humans while acquiring brain activity using neuroimaging. Results show several bilateral AC nodes for general voice decoding (speech and non-speech voices) and for speech decoding in particular. Furthermore, non-hierarchical and differential bilateral AC networks manifest distinct excitatory and inhibitory pathways for voice and speech processing. Finally, while voice and speech processing seem to have distinctive but integrated neural circuits in the left AC, the right AC reveals disintegrated neural circuits for both sounds. Altogether, we demonstrate a functional heterogeneity in the TVAs for voice decoding based on local micro-circuits.
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Xiao K, Gao Y, Imran SA, Chowdhury S, Commuri S, Jiang F. Cross-modal motion aftereffects transfer between vision and touch in early deaf adults. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4395. [PMID: 33623083 PMCID: PMC7902672 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83960-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research on early deafness has primarily focused on the behavioral and neural changes in the intact visual and tactile modalities. However, how early deafness changes the interplay of these two modalities is not well understood. In the current study, we investigated the effect of auditory deprivation on visuo-tactile interaction by measuring the cross-modal motion aftereffect. Consistent with previous findings, motion aftereffect transferred between vision and touch in a bidirectional manner in hearing participants. However, for deaf participants, the cross-modal transfer occurred only in the tactile-to-visual direction but not in the visual-to-tactile direction. This unidirectional cross-modal motion aftereffect found in the deaf participants could not be explained by unisensory motion aftereffect or discrimination threshold. The results suggest a reduced visual influence on tactile motion perception in early deaf individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunchen Xiao
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610066, Sichuan Province, China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557-0296, USA.
| | - Yi Gao
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557-0296, USA
| | - Syed Asif Imran
- Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557-0260, USA
| | - Shahida Chowdhury
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557-0296, USA
| | - Sesh Commuri
- Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557-0260, USA
| | - Fang Jiang
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557-0296, USA.
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