Dynamics of auditory plasticity after cochlear implantation: a longitudinal study.
Human representational cortex may fundamentally alter its organization and (re)gain the capacity for auditory processing even when it is deprived of its input for more than two decades. Stimulus-evoked brain activity was recorded in post-lingual deaf patients after implantation of a cochlear prosthesis, which partly restored their hearing. During a 2 year follow-up study this activity revealed almost normal component configuration and was localized in the auditory cortex, demonstrating adequacy of the cochlear implant stimulation. Evoked brain activity increased over several months after the cochlear implant was turned on. This is taken as a measure of the temporal dynamics of plasticity of the human auditory system after implantation of cochlear prosthesis.
Pantev
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Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, Münster University Hospital, University of Münster, Germany. pantev@uni-muenster.de
Dinnesen
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A
Ross
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B
Wollbrink
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A
Knief
A
A
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001307:Auditory Perception; D001931:Brain Mapping; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome