The functionally and physiologically plastic adult auditory system.

The potential for functional and underlying physiological change in the adult auditory system is examined through review and evaluation of several sets of literature including auditory deprivation and recovery, auditory learning after hearing aid fitting, auditory abilities of normal listeners exposed to masking noise, and neural plasticity in the sensory and motor systems of animals. This tutorial review is meant for the reader who may be interested in auditory learning and who would like to have a summary and evaluation of the various findings to date. The focus of the review is the effect that various findings of auditory learning may have on hearing aid fitting and selection.