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Cited by 77Tactile and Sensory InteractionsNeuroscience and Music PerceptionMultisensory perception and integration

Functional characteristics of auditory cortex in the blind

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Stevens, Alexander A., Weaver, Kurt E.·2009·Behavioural Brain Research
DOI 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.07.041PMC PMC4086845
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Abstract

We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine responses within auditory cortical fields during the passive listening of pure tone (PT) and frequency modulated (FM) stimuli in seven early blind (EB), five late blind (LB) and six sighted control (SC) individuals. Subjects were scanned using a "sparse sampling" imaging technique while listening to PT and FM sounds presented at either low (400 Hz) or high (4 kHz) center frequencies. When high tones were directly compared to low tones, the resulting activation maps showed a general tonotopic organization within the superior and middle temporal lobes at statistically significant thresholds for the SC and LB groups while the EB group showed a comparable tonotopic organization but only at statistically non-significance thresholds. A contrast of all tonal stimuli to a quiet baseline similarly revealed significantly less signal volume in the EB than in either the LB or SC groups. These results suggest that EB does not alter inherent patterns of tonotopic organization but rather, under low-demand listening conditions, results in a more efficient processing of simple auditory stimuli within the early stages of the auditory hierarchy. While these effects must be interpreted cautiously due to the small sample sizes, they indicate that functional responses in auditory cortical areas are altered by visual deprivation and that intramodal auditory plasticity may underlie previously reported auditory advantages observed in the blind.

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  • Loss of one perceptual channel can be compensated for by higher resolution activity in another.

    “Such evidence suggests that the loss of one perceptual channel can be compensated for by higher resolution activity in another (Gougoux et al., 2004; Stevens & Weaver, 2009).”

    From Designing sensory-substitution devices: Principles, pitfalls and potential1 (2016) · cites this paper as Stevens & Weaver, 2009

    The paper’s discussion of early-onset blindness (page unavailable in our copy) reports superior auditory abilities, including greater temporal and spectral processing, and proposes that auditory cortical plasticity may contribute. Its own results concern altered activity during passive listening, not a measured increase in auditory resolution. The claim also generalizes from vision and hearing to any pair of perceptual channels. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Early blind show better temporal resolution for auditory stimuli.

    “On the other hand, the early blind outperform the sighted in pitch discrimination (Gougoux et al., 2004) and also show better temporal resolution for auditory stimuli (Muchnick et al., 1991; Stevens & Weaver, 2009).”

    From Designing sensory-substitution devices: Principles, pitfalls and potential1 (2016) · cites this paper as Stevens & Weaver, 2009

    The passage on early-onset blindness (section labeled Abstract; no page available) discusses greater temporal processing, but describes it as a hypothesized benefit. The paper's own fMRI results concern auditory-cortex responses under low-demand listening, not a direct test of temporal resolution. Thus it supports the general direction of the claim, but not its unqualified assertion of better temporal resolution. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Research works printed but not linked: 43

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Authors
Stevens, A. A., & Weaver, K. E.
Affiliations
  • Oregon Health & Science University (US)
  • University of Washington (US)
Corresponding author
Stevens, Alexander A.
ORCID
Venue
Behavioural Brain Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-01
Volume
196
Issue
1
Pages
134-138
ISSN
0166-4328 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.bbr.2008.07.041
PMC
PMC4086845
OpenAlex
W2068529382
Cited by
77
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 11
FWCI
2.07
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Behavioural Brain Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Eye Institute (R01EY013682)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
Keywords
auditory cortex, visual deprivation, early blindness, late blindness, tonotopic organization, auditory plasticity, frequency-modulated tones, pure tones, superior temporal lobe, middle temporal lobe, auditory hierarchy
MeSH terms
Acoustic Stimulation, Adult, Audiometry, Pure-Tone, Auditory Cortex, Auditory Perception, Blindness, Brain, Discrimination Learning, Female, Hearing, Humans, Functional Laterality, Loudness Perception, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Pitch Perception, Temporal Lobe, Time Factors, Young Adult

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