Crossmodal Plasticity, Sensory Experience, and Cognition

Crossmodal plasticity occurs when sensory regions of the brain adapt to process sensory inputs from different modalities. This is seen in cases of congenital and early deafness and blindness, where, in the absence of their typical inputs, auditory and visual cortices respond to other sensory information. Crossmodal plasticity in deaf and blind individuals impacts several cognitive processes, including working memory, attention, switching, numerical cognition, and language. Crossmodal plasticity in cognitive domains demonstrates that brain function and cognition are shaped by the interplay between structural connectivity, computational capacities, and early sensory experience.