NEURONAL RESPONSES ACROSS CORTICAL FIELD A1 IN PLASTICITY INDUCED BY PERIPHERAL AUDITORY ORGAN DAMAGE

The adult auditory cortex is capable of a plastic reorganization of it s tonotopic map after damage to restricted parts of the cochlear senso ry epithelium. We examine the precise conditions of cochlear damage re quired to demonstrate such plasticity in the primary auditory cortex ( Al) of the cat and the changes observed in neuronal responses in the A l which has reorganized in plasticity of the tonotopic map. From these data we attempt to predict the conditions required for similar plasti city to occur in humans after coachlear damage.