One study showed thalamocortical connectivity in vitro was associated with a time sensitive developmental window and required a specific cell adhesion molecule (lcam5) for proper brain plasticity to occur. This points to connectivity between the thalamus and cortex shortly after being able to hear (in vitro) as at least one critical period for auditory processing. Another study showed that rats reared in a single tone environment during critical periods of development had permanently impaired auditory processing. Bad auditory experiences, such as temporary deafness by cochlear removal in rats leads to neuron shrinkage. In a study looking at attention in APD patients, children with one ear blocked developed a strong right-ear advantage but were not able to modulate that advantage during directed-attention tasks.In the 1980s and 1990s, there was considerable interest in the role of chronic Otitis media (middle ear disease or glue ear) in causing APD and related language and literacy problems. Otitis media with effusion is a very common childhood disease that causes a fluctuating conductive hearing loss, and there was concern this may disrupt auditory development if it occurred during a sensitive period. Consistent with this, in a sample of young children with chronic ear infections recruited from a hospital otolargyngology department, increased rates of auditory difficulties were found later in childhood. However, this kind of study will have sampling bias because children with otitis media will be more likely to be referred to hospital departments if they are experiencing developmental difficulties.
Alopecia mimics have proven a problem in establishing diagnosis of alopecia when using only clinical evaluation.A similarly sounding term is central centrifugal scarring alopecia (CCSA). (L.C. Sperling, Central, centrifugal scarring alopecia. In: L.C. Sperling, Editor, An atlas of hair pathology with clinical correlations, Parthenon Publishing Group, New York (2003), pp. 91–100). This is a clinical finding that describes the diagnosis of some primary cicatricial alopecias as noted mainly in the central scalp, and includes CCCA, folliculitis decalvans, and any other potential centrally presenting cicatricial alopecia. This term is not often used in the literature to signify diagnostic terminology. See also
Cicatricial alopecia
List of cutaneous conditions
Hot comb


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