Does the deaf auditory cortex have a role in cognition?

当环境中发出声音时，大脑听觉皮层中的神经元会放电，给我们听觉的主观体验。在先天性耳聋的人中，经过一个被称为跨模态可塑性的过程，这种听觉机制并不是多余的，而是用于视觉和触觉等功能。然而，我的工作表明，这个故事可能更复杂。我已经证明了聋人的听觉皮层与工作记忆有关，工作记忆是我们用来在头脑中保存和处理信息的认知能力。这一发现表明，失聪的听觉皮层可能不仅具有感觉功能，而且还重组成为认知控制网络的一部分。失聪者和正常人的大脑皮层活动为何会产生不同的知觉体验？此外，一个进化为对声音做出反应的皮层是如何改变其功能的，不仅对视觉和触觉做出反应，而且还承担了更高的认知功能，如工作记忆？证明这些是真的将代表我们对行为，认知和大脑的理解的深刻变化：也就是说，作为感觉丧失和神经重组的结果，通常具有感觉功能的大脑部分可以将其作用改变为主要的认知功能，并可能改变我们的行为。使用功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）来测量聋人和听力正常者的神经功能，和机器学习技术，我的目标是解决以下问题：聋人听觉皮层是否参与多种认知功能？它能代表抽象的任务规则跨越感官形态吗？此外，聋人是否能将认知资源策略性地分配给听觉皮层？世界上超过5%的人口患有严重的听力损失，该项目的结果将提供证据，可以指导这些人制定更好的（再）听力和教育选择。此外，从这个项目中得出的原理可以应用于其他类型的感觉丧失，以及可以恢复缺失的大脑功能的电子设备（神经假体）的设计。因此，该项目不仅将解决一个基本的科学问题，而且还具有为社会带来重要利益的潜力。

When a sound is made in the environment, neurons fire in the auditory cortex of the brain, giving us the subjective experience of hearing. In congenitally deaf people, following a process known as crossmodal plasticity, this hearing machinery, rather than being redundant, is known to be used for functions such as vision and touch. However, my work suggests that the story may be more complicated. I have shown that the auditory cortex of the deaf is involved in working memory, the cognitive capacity that we use to keep and manipulate information in our mind. This finding suggests that the deaf auditory cortex may not only serve sensory functions, but also reorganise to become part of a cognitive control network. How is it that activity in the same cortex results in different perceptual experiences in deaf and hearing individuals? Moreover, how does a cortex that evolved to respond to sounds change its function to respond not only to vision and touch, but also to take on higher cognitive functions such as working memory? Proving these to be true would represent a profound change in our understanding of behaviour, cognition and the brain: namely that, as a consequence of sensory loss and neural reorganisation, parts of the brain that usually have sensory functions can change their role to primarily cognitive functions, and potentially modify our behaviour.Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure neural function in deaf and hearing individuals, and machine learning techniques, I aim to address the following questions: Is the deaf auditory cortex involved in multiple cognitive functions? Can it represent abstract task rules across sensory modalities? Furthermore, can deaf individuals strategically allocate cognitive resources to the auditory cortex?Over 5% of the world's population has a significant hearing loss, and results from this project will contribute evidence that can guide the development of better (re)habilitation and educational options to these individuals. Moreover, principles derived from this project can be applied to other types of sensory losses, and to the design of electronic devices that can restore missing brain functions (neural prostheses). Thus, this project will not only address a fundamental scientific question, but also has the potential of important benefits for society.