Investigating the maladaptive cortical reorganization in the human auditory cortex using magnetoencephalography

Abstract

Non-invasive neuroimaging techniques have revealed that not only child brains but also adult brains can be reorganized in human. The cortical reorganization is usually beneficial such as an increased auditory cortical representation in professional musicians. On the other hand, maladaptive cortical reorganization in the auditory cortex can lead to hearing disorders such as tinnitus and hyperacusis. We tried to non-invasively visualize the pathological neural activity in the human auditory cortex and to reverse maladaptive cortical reorganization by suitable behavioral training to decrease detrimental auditory symptoms. Here, we report our previous studies that measured the neural activity in the auditory cortex of hearing impaired people using magnetoencephalography. The results obtained indicated that hearing impairments were related to the reorganization of the auditory neural pathway and that sound therapy was an effective approach for sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Visualization of the healthy and pathological brain activity by non-invasive neuroimaging techniques can lead to the development of a new clinical approach for those affected.