Föcker Julia, Hölig Cordula, Best Anna, Röder Brigitte
Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2015;33(1):15-30. doi: 10.3233/RNN-140406.
Intra- and crossmodal neuroplasticity have been reported to underlie superior voice processing skills in congenitally blind individuals. The present study used event-related potentials (ERPs) in order to test if such compensatory plasticity is limited to the developing brain.
Late blind individuals were compared to sighted controls in their ability to identify human voices. A priming paradigm was employed in which two successive voices (S1, S2) of the same (person-congruent) or different speakers (person-incongruent) were presented. Participants made an old-young decision on the S2.
In both groups ERPs to the auditory S2 were more negative in person-incongruent than in person-congruent trials between 200-300 ms. A topographic analysis suggested a more posteriorly shifted distribution of the Person Match effect (person-incongruent minus person-congruent trials) in late blind individuals compared to sighted controls.
In contrast to congenitally blind individuals, late blind individuals did not show an early Person Match effect in the time range of the N1, suggesting that crossmodal compensation is mediated by later processing steps rather than by changes at early perceptual levels.
据报道，先天性盲人在语音处理能力方面具有优势，其基础是模态内和跨模态神经可塑性。本研究使用事件相关电位（ERP）来测试这种代偿性可塑性是否仅限于发育中的大脑。
将晚期盲人个体与视力正常的对照组在识别人类声音的能力上进行比较。采用启动范式，呈现同一说话者（人物一致）或不同说话者（人物不一致）的两个连续声音（S1、S2）。参与者对S2做出老少判断。
在两组中，在200 - 300毫秒之间，与人物一致的试验相比，人物不一致试验中对听觉S2的ERP更正。地形分析表明，与视力正常的对照组相比，晚期盲人个体中人物匹配效应（人物不一致试验减去人物一致试验）的分布更向后移位。
与先天性盲人个体不同，晚期盲人个体在N1时间范围内未表现出早期人物匹配效应，这表明跨模态补偿是由后期处理步骤介导的，而不是由早期感知水平的变化介导的。
