Executive functions in the brain of deaf individuals – sensory and language effects
Schedule
Thursday, March 21, 2024
16:00 UTC
Velia Cardin
UCL
Host: Multisensory Perception and Plasticity
Recording
Open recording
Event Information
Recording
Available
Host
Multisensory Perception and Plasticity
Duration
70 minutes
Abstract
Executive functions are cognitive processes that allow us to plan, monitor and execute our goals. Using fMRI, we investigated how early deafness influences crossmodal plasticity and the organisation of executive functions in the adult human brain. Results from a range of visual executive function tasks (working memory, task switching, planning, inhibition) show that deaf individuals specifically recruit superior temporal “auditory” regions during task switching. Neural activity in auditory regions predicts behavioural performance during task switching in deaf individuals, highlighting the functional relevance of the observed cortical reorganisation. Furthermore, language grammatical skills were correlated with the level of activation and functional connectivity of fronto-parietal networks. Together, these findings show the interplay between sensory and language experience in the organisation of executive processing in the brain.
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