Adaptive plasticity

Traditionally, vision has been considered the preferred modality for investigating the effects of sensory experience on neural representations, especially in early developmental stages (Hubel & Wiesel, 1970; for reviews, see Levelt & Hubener, 2012; Morishita & Hensch, 2008). However, in recent decades, research on human auditory and somatosensory systems has revealed fundamental knowledge about plastic adaptive mechanisms. Studies that have systematically distorted the acoustic environment of developing animals (Dahmen & King, 2007; Persic et al., 2020) and research in newborns have contributed to the notion that early sound exposure is crucial for the emergence of functional representations in the auditory cortex. Furthermore, the success of cochlear implants has provided a causal model for understanding the impact of a period of auditory deprivation in life (Pavani & Bottari, 2022). Moreover, some of the most definitive effects of perceptual learning on neuronal response properties have been observed in the auditory cortex by training procedures (Polley et al., 2006) and cortical reorganization after selective damage to the cochlea demonstrated plasticity throughout life. Similarly, the investigation of the somatosensory system has spurred research revealing the high plasticity of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1; Feldman & Brecht, 2005) in cases of extensive use and response to peripheral injuries, such as amputation (Weiss et al., 2000). The intersection of the study of plasticity in case of limb absence or amputation, brain functional development, and phantom pain has provided fundamental findings concerning sensory …