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Assessment of Audio-Tactile Sensory Substitution Training in Participants with Profound Deafness Using the Event-Related Potential Technique
Published on: September 7, 2022
Temporary deafness can impair multisensory integration: a study of cochlear-implant users
Simon P Landry1, Jean-Paul Guillemot, François Champoux
1Centre de Recherche en Neuropsychologie et Cognition (CERNEC), Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Psychological Science
|June 1, 2013
Summary
Temporary deafness impairs multisensory integration, even after hearing is restored. Individuals temporarily deaf did not experience an audiotactile illusion, unlike normally hearing individuals, suggesting disturbed sensory interactions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Science
- Sensory Integration
Background:
- Temporary deafness significantly impacts audiovisual speech processing.
- The effects of temporary deafness on other multisensory processes remain less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether temporary deafness disrupts nonspeech multisensory integration in adults.
- To examine audiotactile interactions in individuals with and without prior auditory deprivation.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of normally hearing individuals and individuals with temporary auditory deprivation were tested.
- A nonspeech audiotactile illusion task was administered.
- Auditory and tactile discrimination abilities were assessed in control conditions.
Main Results:
- Auditory and tactile discrimination were comparable between groups.
- Normally hearing individuals exhibited the audiotactile illusion.
- Individuals with temporary auditory deprivation failed to integrate auditory and tactile information.
Conclusions:
- Temporary deafness disturbs expected audiotactile interactions.
- The findings suggest a broader impact of auditory deprivation on multisensory processing beyond speech.
- The cochlear implant did not account for the observed deficits in sensory integration.
