**7. Conclusion**

Collectively, the reported studies on crossmodal interplay and plasticity in primary cortical areas after sensory loss challenge the view that multisensory integration and plasticity only exists in high-order cortical areas. Future studies should investigate how the crossmodal substitution effects shown in the deprived primary areas contribute to the high-order cortices plasticity after a sensory loss and more generally promote adaptive behavioral performances through functional compensation. In this respect, it will be important to decipher the neural mechanisms underpinning the necessary rebalancing of bottom-up and top-down regulatory influences in order to improve neuro-rehabilitative procedures.
