Abstract
Unilateral damage to a restricted region of the cochlea in adult guinea pigs and cats results in reorganization of the representation of the lesioned cochlea in auditory cortex contralateral to the lesioned ear. The reorganization is such that the region of cortex deprived of its normal input by the lesion is totally or partially occupied by expanded representations of lesion-edge frequencies, and is therefore analogous to that seen in somatosensory and visual cortex after restricted peripheral damage or deafferentation in adult animals. In the cat studies, the representation of the unlesioned ipsilateral cochlea was found to be unchanged, such that the ipsilateral and contralateral frequency maps were out of register in the region of reorganization of the contralateral map. This pattern of effects suggests that the changes seen in auditory cortex reflect reorganization at a subcortical level at or before the site of binaural interaction, an interpretation supported by recent evidence for the occurrence of similar reorganization in the inferior colliculus. Plasticity in cortical and subcortical sensory structures following peripheral injury in adult animals demonstrates the capacity of the central nervous system to reorganize itself when confronted with altered sensory input. Recent evidence indicates that this capacity is also manifested in changes in cortical organization as a consequence of differential sensory stimulation in behaving animals.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 55-59 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Biomedical Research |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | SUPPL. 4 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 1993 |