Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4F, Hui Yeung Shing Building, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.
Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 3F, Sino Building Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.
Cereb Cortex. 2024 Apr 1;34(4). doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhae145.
Hearing is critical to spoken language, cognitive, and social development. Little is known about how early auditory experiences impact the brain structure of children with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. This study examined the influence of hearing aid use and residual hearing on the auditory cortex of children with severe to profound congenital sensorineural hearing loss. We evaluated cortical preservation in 103 young pediatric cochlear implant candidates (55 females and 48 males) by comparing their multivoxel pattern similarity of auditory cortical structure with that of 78 age-matched children with typical hearing. The results demonstrated that early-stage hearing aid use preserved the auditory cortex of children with bilateral congenital sensorineural hearing loss. Children with less residual hearing experienced a more pronounced advantage from hearing aid use. However, this beneficial effect gradually diminished after 17 months of hearing aid use. These findings support timely fitting of hearing aids in conjunction with early implantation to take advantage of neural preservation to maximize auditory and spoken language development.
听力对口语、认知和社会发展至关重要。目前人们对于早期听觉经验如何影响双侧感音神经性听力损失儿童的大脑结构知之甚少。本研究旨在探讨助听使用和残余听力对重度至极重度先天性感音神经性听力损失儿童听觉皮层的影响。我们通过比较 103 名年轻人工耳蜗植入候选者（55 名女性和 48 名男性）与 78 名年龄匹配的听力正常儿童的听觉皮质结构的多体素模式相似性，评估了皮质的保留情况。结果表明，早期使用助听器可以保留双侧先天性感音神经性听力损失儿童的听觉皮层。残余听力较少的儿童从助听器使用中获益更大。然而，这种有益的效果在使用助听器 17 个月后逐渐减弱。这些发现支持在早期植入的同时及时适配助听器，以利用神经保护作用，最大限度地促进听觉和口语发展。
