I am not sure but isn´t the magnet-in-finger thing just caused by kinetic energy of the magnet in response to EM fields? The magnet would move a little in the finger (e.g. vibrate) and your nerves perceive a sensation equivalent to touch.
The augmentation ends at the finger and the brain never has to adapt that much at all.
The hearing implants are a different story altogether because hearing is already fully developed in the newborn's brains [1]. So if you have hearing issues due to biomechanical problems in your ear, the brain wouldn't need to adapt at all when these issues are removed. You would merely form new memories from new sounds but the sensory processing works normally from second zero onward.
And if hearing is impaired due to neurological issues then I severely doubt any current implant technology would change that. That would need to be much closer to treating a stroke patient.
The human brain is extremely adaptable, yes. Much more so in young people than in old. And apparently there is some variance with brain region (responsibility) as well.
The augmentation ends at the finger and the brain never has to adapt that much at all.
The hearing implants are a different story altogether because hearing is already fully developed in the newborn's brains [1]. So if you have hearing issues due to biomechanical problems in your ear, the brain wouldn't need to adapt at all when these issues are removed. You would merely form new memories from new sounds but the sensory processing works normally from second zero onward.
And if hearing is impaired due to neurological issues then I severely doubt any current implant technology would change that. That would need to be much closer to treating a stroke patient.
The human brain is extremely adaptable, yes. Much more so in young people than in old. And apparently there is some variance with brain region (responsibility) as well.
[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1061088/