Species-dependent role of crossmodal connectivity among the primary sensory cortices.

Species-dependent role of crossmodal connectivity among the primary sensory cortices.
Hear Res. 2016 Jun 9;
Authors: Meredith MA, Lomber SG
Abstract
When a major sense is lost, crossmodal plasticity substitutes functional processing from the remaining, intact senses. Recent studies of deafness-induced crossmodal plasticity in different subregions of auditory cortex indicate that the phenomenon is largely based on the "unmasking" of existing inputs. However, there is not yet a consensus on the sources or effects of crossmodal inputs to primary sensory cortical areas. In the present review, a rigorous re-examination of the experimental literature indicates that connections between different primary sensory cortices consistently occur in rodents, while primary-to-primary projections are absent/inconsistent in non-rodents such as cats and monkeys. These observations suggest that crossmodal plasticity that involves primary sensory areas are likely to exhibit species-specific distinctions.
PMID: 27292113 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Hearing Research - June 8, 2016 Category: Audiology Authors: Meredith MA, Lomber SG Tags: Hear Res Source Type: research