Gray matter density changes in children with congenital severe sensorineural deafness: a voxel-based morphometric study

Abstract

Early hearing loss could cause abnormal brain development, which has been linked to the complex process known as cross-modal neuroplasticity. However, previous studies investigating the brain structure of infants with congenital severe sensorineural hearing loss (CSSHL) are scarce and have yielded inconsistent results. This study aimed to further explore the gray matter (GM) density changes in children with CSSHL. Fifteen children aged 0–5 years with CSSHL and 11 healthy children as controls (aged 0–5 years) were recruited. Each participant underwent a structural MRI scan. The voxel-based morphometry method was performed to evaluate GM density for each participant and analyze their characteristics. It was discovered that: (1) GM density of the right superior temporal gyrus and caudate in the CSSHL group was smaller than that of healthy controls (HC). However, GM density was larger in the left posterior central gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule and right cerebellum in the CSSHL group compared with HC. (2) The GM density value of the left superior frontal gyrus and inferior parietal lobule was negatively correlated with age. However, the GM density value of the right superior temporal gyrus in the CSSHL group was positively correlated with age. Compared with HC, the GM density of CSSHL children was larger in somatosensory areas (including left superior frontal gyrus, posterior central gyrus, inferior parietal lobule and right cerebellum), whereas GM density was smaller in auditory-related areas (such as the right superior temporal gyrus and caudate). Moreover, GM density change was influenced by the duration of hearing deprivation.