Open AccessAdult deafness induces somatosensory conversion of ferret auditory cortex
Author(s) -
Brian L. Allman,
Les Keniston,
M. Alex Meredith
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.0809483106
Subject(s) - somatosensory system , auditory cortex , sensory system , neuroscience , auditory system , cortex (anatomy) , stimulus modality , cerebral cortex , sensory deprivation , audiology , psychology , biology , medicine
In response to early or developmental lesions, responsiveness of sensory cortex can be converted from the deprived modality to that of the remaining sensory systems. However, little is known about capacity of the adult cortex for cross-modal reorganization. The present study examined the auditory cortices of animals deafened as adults, and observed an extensive somatosensory conversion within as little as 16 days after deafening. These results demonstrate that cortical cross-modal reorganization can occur after the period of sensory system maturation.
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