Episode 24: The Neuroscience of Deafness

Neuroscience: Amateur Hour

This episode is part two of my miniseries on the neuroscience of language production and processing and today we're touching on how the brain regions encoding those concepts change in deaf individuals. It turns out that the brain is the literal embodiment of that "its free real estate" meme and vision input takes over the auditory cortex!
If you're curious to know more - come and take a listen!
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I really appreciate it!!!
Citations and relevant papers are below!
CDC. Genetics of Hearing Loss | CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published February 18, 2015. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/genetics.html#:~:text=50%25%20to%2060%25%20of%20hearing

Deafness causes before birth | Deafness in childhood. www.ndcs.org.uk. https://www.ndcs.org.uk/information-and-support/childhood-deafness/causes-of-deafness/#:~:text=Deafness%20can%20also%20be%20caused

Simon M, Campbell E, Genest F, MacLean MW, Champoux F, Lepore F. The Impact of Early Deafness on Brain Plasticity: A Systematic Review of the White and Gray Matter Changes. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2020;14. doi:10.3389/fnins.2020.00206

Sharma A, Dorman MF, Spahr AJ. A Sensitive Period for the Development of the Central Auditory System in Children with Cochlear Implants: Implications for Age of Implantation. Ear and Hearing. 2002;23(6):532-539. https://journals.lww.com/ear-hearing/Abstract/2002/12000/A_Sensitive_Period_for_the_Development_of_the.4.aspx

Voss P, Thomas ME, Cisneros-Franco JM, de Villers-Sidani É. Dynamic Brains and the Changing Rules of Neuroplasticity: Implications for Learning and Recovery. Frontiers in Psychology. 2017;8. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01657

Purves D, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, et al. The Auditory Cortex. Nih.gov. Published 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10900/

Bola Ł, Zimmermann M, Mostowski P, et al. Task-specific reorganization of the auditory cortex in deaf humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2017;114(4):E600-E609. doi:10.1073/pnas.1609000114

‌Fougnie D, Cockhren J, Marois R. A common source of attention for auditory and visual tracking. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics. 2018;80(6):1571-1583. doi:10.3758/s13414-018-1524-9

Campbell R, MacSweeney M, Waters D. Sign Language and the Brain: A Review. The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. 2008;13(1):3-20. doi:10.1093/deafed/enm035

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