title: Brain systems mediating voice identity processing in blind humans.
abstract: Blind people rely more on vocal cues when they recognize a person's identity than sighted people. Indeed, a number of studies have reported better voice recognition skills in blind than in sighted adults. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging study investigated changes in the functional organization of neural systems involved in voice identity processing following congenital blindness. A group of congenitally blind individuals and matched sighted control participants were tested in a priming paradigm, in which two voice stimuli (S1, S2) were subsequently presented. The prime (S1) and the target (S2) were either from the same speaker (person-congruent voices) or from two different speakers (person-incongruent voices). Participants had to classify the S2 as either a old or a young person. Person-incongruent voices (S2) compared with person-congruent voices elicited an increased activation in the right anterior fusiform gyrus in congenitally blind individuals but not in matched sighted control participants. In contrast, only matched sighted controls showed a higher activation in response to person-incongruent compared with person-congruent voices (S2) in the right posterior superior temporal sulcus. These results provide evidence for crossmodal plastic changes of the person identification system in the brain after visual deprivation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Germany; Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Cordula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hölig
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Föcker
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Röder
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Büchel
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001766:Blindness / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D046709:Pattern Recognition, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D060865:Repetition Priming; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D014831:Voice; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: congenitally blind; functional magnetic resonance imaging; identity; person recognition; plasticity; sensory deprivation; voice