Journal article
A morphometric analysis of auditory brain regions in congenitally deaf adults
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.100(17), pp.10049-10054
08/19/2003
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1730169100
PMCID: PMC187761
PMID: 12904582
Abstract
We investigated whether variation in auditory experience in humans during
development alters the macroscopic neuroanatomy of primary or auditory
association cortices. Volumetric analyses were based on MRI data from 25
congenitally deaf subjects and 25 hearing subjects, all right-handed. The
groups were matched for gender and age. Gray and white matter volumes were
determined for the temporal lobe, superior temporal gyrus, Heschl's gyrus
(HG), and the planum temporale. Deaf and hearing subjects did not differ in
the total volume or the gray matter volume of HG, which suggests that auditory
deafferentation does not lead to cell loss within primary auditory cortex in
humans. However, deaf subjects had significantly larger gray
matter–white matter ratios than hearing subjects in HG, with deaf
subjects exhibiting significantly less white matter in both left and right HG.
Deaf subjects also had higher gray matter–white matter ratios in the
rest of the superior temporal gyrus, but this pattern was not observed for the
temporal lobe as a whole. These findings suggest that auditory deprivation
from birth results in less myelination and/or fewer fibers projecting to and
from auditory cortices. Finally, the volumes of planum temporale and HG were
significantly larger in the left hemisphere for both groups, suggesting that
leftward asymmetries within “auditory” cortices do not arise from
experience with auditory processing.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- A morphometric analysis of auditory brain regions in congenitally deaf adults
- Creators
- Karen Emmorey - Salk Institute for Biological StudiesJohn S. Allen - Salk Institute for Biological StudiesJoel Bruss - Salk Institute for Biological StudiesNatalie Schenker - Salk Institute for Biological StudiesHanna Damasio - Salk Institute for Biological Studies
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.100(17), pp.10049-10054
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- DOI
- 10.1073/pnas.1730169100
- PMID
- 12904582
- PMCID
- PMC187761
- ISSN
- 0027-8424
- eISSN
- 1091-6490
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 08/19/2003
- Academic Unit
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics
- Record Identifier
- 9984622754002771
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