title: Audio-tactile integration in congenitally and late deaf cochlear implant users.
abstract: Several studies conducted in mammals and humans have shown that multisensory processing may be impaired following congenital sensory loss and in particular if no experience is achieved within specific early developmental time windows known as sensitive periods. In this study we investigated whether basic multisensory abilities are impaired in hearing-restored individuals with deafness acquired at different stages of development. To this aim, we tested congenitally and late deaf cochlear implant (CI) recipients, age-matched with two groups of hearing controls, on an audio-tactile redundancy paradigm, in which reaction times to unimodal and crossmodal redundant signals were measured. Our results showed that both congenitally and late deaf CI recipients were able to integrate audio-tactile stimuli, suggesting that congenital and acquired deafness does not prevent the development and recovery of basic multisensory processing. However, we found that congenitally deaf CI recipients had a lower multisensory gain compared to their matched controls, which may be explained by their faster responses to tactile stimuli. We discuss this finding in the context of reorganisation of the sensory systems following sensory loss and the possibility that these changes cannot be "rewired" through auditory reafferentation.
authors.affiliation: University of Hamburg, Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nava
authors.affiliation: University of Hamburg, Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bottari
authors.affiliation: University of Hamburg, Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villwock
authors.affiliation: University of Hamburg, Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ineke
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fengler
authors.affiliation: German Hearing Centre, Medical Clinic Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Büchner
authors.affiliation: German Hearing Centre, Medical Clinic Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lenarz
authors.affiliation: University of Hamburg, Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Röder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000151:congenital / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities; D011930:Reaction Time; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult