Not to Compare Apples and Oranges, But…: Someone asked us if it is true that Deaf and hearing people’s brains are wired differently. See below and decide for yourself.

Above: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) pictures show different areas of the brain that are used by Deaf and hearing individuals when processing langauge. Yellow and red mark areas of increased blood flow.

Above: These images related to face processing show that both Deaf and hearing people’s brains are activated in similar areas, but also reveal that for Deaf people, additional brain areas are activated. Researchers hypothesize that using visuospatial language may have an impact on face processing.

Above: These are brain images of Deaf people watching sign language, and hearing people watching and listening to speech. Deaf people’s brains showed increased activity in the auditory cortex compared to those of hearing people.