Gray matter density changes in children with congenital severe sensorineural deafness: a voxel-based morphometric...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Early hearing loss can impact brain development via cross-modal neuroplasticity.
• Research on brain structure in infants with congenital severe sensorineural hearing loss (CSSHL) is limited and shows inconsistent findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gray matter (GM) density changes in young children with CSSHL.
• To explore the relationship between GM density, age, and duration of hearing deprivation.

Main Methods:

• Structural MRI scans were acquired from 15 children (0-5 years) with CSSHL and 11 healthy controls (HC).
• Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to analyze GM density differences between groups.

Main Results:

• CSSHL group showed smaller GM density in the right superior temporal gyrus and caudate compared to HC.
• Increased GM density was observed in the left posterior central gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and right cerebellum in the CSSHL group.
• GM density in auditory areas was reduced, while somatosensory areas showed increased GM density, influenced by age and hearing deprivation duration.

Conclusions:

• CSSHL is associated with significant gray matter density alterations in auditory and somatosensory brain regions.
• These structural changes are dynamic, varying with age and the extent of hearing loss, highlighting the brain's adaptive plasticity.