Exploring the Structural and Functional Organization of the Dorsal Zone of Auditory Cortex in Hearing and Deafness

........................................................................................................................................ ii Statement of Co-Authorship ................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... v Table of contents. ...................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. xi List of Abbreviations and Symbols ..................................................................................... xiv Chapter 1: General Introduction ........................................................................................ 1 1.1 Overview ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2 The auditory system .................................................................................... 2 1.2.1 Acquisition of auditory information by the nervous system .................... 2 1.2.2 Interpretation of auditory information by the nervous system ................ 3 1.3 Sensory loss and the cerebral cortex .......................................................... 5 1.3.1 Short-term removal of sensory input ..................................................... 6 1.3.2 Blindness and visual deprivation ........................................................... 7 1.3.3 Deafness and auditory deprivation ...................................................... 10 1.3.4 General principles of cross-modal plasticity ........................................ 13 1.3.5 Developmental considerations ............................................................ 14 1.4 Thesis overview......................................................................................... 15 1.5 References ................................................................................................ 17 Chapter 2: Cross-modal reorganization of cortical afferents to dorsal auditory cortex following earlyand late-onset deafness ................................... 27 2.1 Abstract. .................................................................................................... 27 2.2 Introduction ............................................................................................... 28 2.3 Materials and Methods .............................................................................. 30 2.3.1 Deafening Procedures ........................................................................ 33 2.3.2 Tracer injections. ................................................................................. 35