EEG coherence in early-blind humans during sound localization.
Human blind individuals have demonstrated cross-modal plasticity in research over the past decade. In one such study, we showed that early-blind subjects were able to localize sound sources accurately despite the lack of visual input for the calibration of their auditory space. A further ERP study with these subjects also revealed N1 and P3 components during a sound localization task to be more posteriorly distributed than for sighted controls, indicating an involvement of posterior regions in sound localization for blind subjects not present for sighted subjects. In the current study, we analyzed these data for EEG power and coherence in theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands to see whether blind individuals would show increased coherence reflecting increased connectivity between the central and posterior cortical regions. Blind and sighted subjects did not differ with respect to overall EEG power in any frequency range. However, EEG coherence was significantly increased in blind subjects compared to sighted in the theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands. These results have implications for cortical plasticity affected by sensory deprivation in humans.
Leclerc
Charles
C
Centre de Recherche en Neuropsychologie et Cognition, Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, Que., H3C 3J7, Canada.
Segalowitz
Sidney J
SJ
Desjardins
James
J
Lassonde
Maryse
M
Lepore
Franco
F
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D000513:Alpha Rhythm; D001611:Beta Rhythm; D001766:Blindness / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D013017:Sound Localization / Q000502:physiology*; D013826:Theta Rhythm