Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026
06:04
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Cross-modal plasticity and speech perception in pre- and postlingually deaf cochlear implant users
Kristi A Buckley1, Emily A Tobey
1Department of Communicative Disorders & Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA. kb78@buffalo.edu
Ear and Hearing
|September 11, 2010
Summary
Cross-modal plasticity impacts cochlear implant speech perception in prelingual hearing loss, but not postlingual. The timing of hearing loss, not duration of deprivation, influences outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Audiology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Speech perception variability after cochlear implantation (CI) is significant.
- Cross-modal plasticity is a potential contributing factor to this variability.
- Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for optimizing CI outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between visual/auditory cross-modal plasticity and speech perception in CI users.
- To differentiate the influence of cross-modal plasticity based on the onset of hearing loss (pre- vs. postlingual).
Main Methods:
- Recorded N1 visual evoked potential (VEP) in response to visual motion stimuli in prelingual (N=10) and postlingual (N=12) CI users.
- Analyzed the association between N1 VEP amplitude and speech perception scores using linear regression.
- Examined the relationship between VEP amplitude and duration of auditory deprivation.
Main Results:
- Increased N1 VEP amplitude correlated with decreased speech perception in prelingual CI users.
- No significant association was found between N1 VEP amplitude and speech perception in postlingual CI users.
- Neither group showed a correlation between VEP amplitude and duration of auditory deprivation.
Conclusions:
- Cross-modal plasticity significantly influences speech perception variability in prelingual CI users.
- This influence is not observed in postlingual CI users.
- The timing of hearing loss onset is a more critical factor than the duration of auditory deprivation in modulating the effects of cross-modal plasticity on CI speech perception.
Related Concept Videos
01:01Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
01:17Auditory Perception
The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the cochlea, a...
00:58Plasticity
Plasticity is the property where an object loses its elasticity and undergoes irreversible deformation, even after the deformation forces are eliminated. If a material deforms irreversibly without increasing stress or load, then this is called ideal plasticity. For example, when a force is applied to an aluminum rod, it changes its shape, but it does not return to its original shape once the force is removed. Plastic deformation or ductility is thus a permanent deformation or change in the...