Bats Exhibit Hardwired Adaptation When Key Hearing Pathway Is Blocked

Johns Hopkins researchers discover bats' innate ability to adjust navigation and vocalization strategies despite severe auditory disruption.

Johns Hopkins scientists found that bats can immediately adapt to a blocked auditory midbrain pathway, crucial for processing sound.
The bats adjusted their flight patterns and vocalizations, flying lower, staying closer to walls, and increasing the frequency and duration of their echolocation calls.
These adaptations were not learned behaviors but innate, hardwired responses in the bats' brain circuitry, activated instantly under sensory deprivation.
Researchers were surprised to find that bats could still process sound, suggesting the existence of alternative auditory pathways or compensatory neural mechanisms.
The findings raise questions about whether similar adaptive capabilities exist in other animals and humans, opening new avenues for research on sensory processing and brain resilience.