The ability to differentiate between repeated and novel events represents a fundamental property of the visual system. Neural responses are typically reduced upon stimulus repetition, a phenomenon called Repetition Suppression (RS). On the contrary, following a novel visual stimulus, the neural response is generally enhanced, a phenomenon referred to as Novelty Detection (ND). Here, we aimed to investigate the impact of early deafness on the oscillatory signatures of RS and ND brain responses. To this aim, electrophysiological data were acquired in early deaf and hearing control individuals during processing of repeated and novel visual events unattended by participants. By studying evoked and induced oscillatory brain activities, as well as inter-trial phase coherence, we linked response modulations to feedback and/or feedforward processes. Results revealed selective experience-dependent changes on both RS and ND mechanisms. Compared to hearing controls, early deaf individuals displayed: (i) greater attenuation of the response following stimulus repetition, selectively in the induced theta-band (4–7 Hz); (ii) reduced desynchronization following the onset of novel visual stimuli, in the induced alpha and beta bands (8–12 and 13–25 Hz); (iii) comparable modulation of evoked responses and inter-trial phase coherence. The selectivity of the effects in the induced responses parallels findings observed in the auditory cortex of deaf animal models following intracochlear electric stimulation. The present results support the idea that early deafness alters induced oscillatory activity and the functional tuning of basic visual processing.

区分重复事件和新事件的能力代表了视觉系统的基本属性。刺激重复时神经反应通常会减少，这种现象称为重复抑制 (RS)。相反，在新的视觉刺激之后，神经反应通常会增强，这种现象称为新奇检测 (ND)。在这里，我们旨在研究早期耳聋对 RS 和 ND 大脑反应的振荡特征的影响。为此，在处理参与者无人看管的重复和新视觉事件期间，在早期聋人和听力控制个体中获得了电生理数据。通过研究诱发和诱发的振荡大脑活动，以及试验间阶段的一致性，我们将反应调制与反馈和/或前馈过程联系起来。结果揭示了 RS 和 ND 机制的选择性经验依赖变化。与听力对照相比，早期聋人表现出：（i）刺激重复后反应衰减更大，选择性地在诱导的 theta 波段（4-7 Hz）；(ii) 在诱导的 alpha 和 beta 波段（8-12 和 13-25 Hz）出现新的视觉刺激后减少不同步；(iii) 诱发反应和试验间阶段一致性的可比调制。诱导反应中效应的选择性与耳蜗内电刺激后聋动物模型的听觉皮层中观察到的结果相似。目前的结果支持早期耳聋会改变诱发的振荡活动和基本视觉处理的功能调整的观点。