Cross-domain processing of musical and vocal emotions in cochlear implant users

Music and voice bear many similarities and share neural resources to some extent. Experience dependent plasticity provides a window into the neural overlap between these two domains. Here, we suggest that research on auditory deprived individuals whose hearing has been bionically restored offers a unique insight into the functional and structural overlap between music and voice. Studying how basic emotions (happiness, sadness, and fear) are perceived in auditory stimuli constitutes a favorable terrain for such an endeavor. We outline a possible neuro-behavioral approach to study the effect of plasticity on cross-domain processing ofmusical and vocal emotions, using cochlear implant users as a model of reversible sensory deprivation and comparing them to normal-hearing individuals. We discuss the implications of such developments on the current understanding of cross-domain neural overlap.