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Hearing Loss and Brain Plasticity: The Hyperactivity Phenomenon
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Version 1
: Received: 4 September 2020 / Approved: 5 September 2020 / Online: 5 September 2020 (04:54:15 CEST)
Version 2 : Received: 14 April 2021 / Approved: 15 April 2021 / Online: 15 April 2021 (13:34:54 CEST)
Version 2 : Received: 14 April 2021 / Approved: 15 April 2021 / Online: 15 April 2021 (13:34:54 CEST)
How to cite: Herrmann, B.; Butler, B. Hearing Loss and Brain Plasticity: The Hyperactivity Phenomenon. Preprints 2020, 2020090116 Herrmann, B.; Butler, B. Hearing Loss and Brain Plasticity: The Hyperactivity Phenomenon. Preprints 2020, 2020090116
Abstract
Many aging adults experience some form of hearing problems that may arise from auditory peripheral damage. However, it has been increasingly acknowledged that hearing loss is not only a dysfunction of the auditory periphery but results from changes within the entire auditory system, from periphery to cortex. Damage to the auditory periphery is associated with an increase in neural activity at various stages throughout the auditory pathway. Here, we review neurophysiological evidence of hyperactivity, auditory perceptual difficulties that may result from hyperactivity, and outline open conceptual and methodological questions related to the study of hyperactivity. We suggest that hyperactivity alters all aspects of hearing – including spectral, temporal, spatial hearing – and, in turn, impairs speech comprehension when background sound is present. By focusing on the perceptual consequences of hyperactivity and the potential challenges of investigating hyperactivity in humans, we hope to bring animal and human electrophysiologists closer together to better understand hearing problems in older adulthood.
Keywords
hearing loss; aging; hyperactivity; excitability; loss of inhibition; neurophysiology; auditory perception; neural plasticity; speech processing
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Neurology
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Commenter: Bjorn Herrmann
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