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Jiao S, Wang K, Luo Y, Zeng J, Han Z. Plastic reorganization of the topological asymmetry of hemispheric white matter networks induced by congenital visual experience deprivation. Neuroimage 2024; 299:120844. [PMID: 39260781 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 09/01/2024] [Accepted: 09/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Congenital blindness offers a unique opportunity to investigate human brain plasticity. The influence of congenital visual loss on the asymmetry of the structural network remains poorly understood. To address this question, we recruited 21 participants with congenital blindness (CB) and 21 age-matched sighted controls (SCs). Employing diffusion and structural magnetic resonance imaging, we constructed hemispheric white matter (WM) networks using deterministic fiber tractography and applied graph theory methodologies to assess topological efficiency (i.e., network global efficiency, network local efficiency, and nodal local efficiency) within these networks. Statistical analyses revealed a consistent leftward asymmetry in global efficiency across both groups. However, a different pattern emerged in network local efficiency, with the CB group exhibiting a symmetric state, while the SC group showed a leftward asymmetry. Specifically, compared to the SC group, the CB group exhibited a decrease in local efficiency in the left hemisphere, which was caused by a reduction in the nodal properties of some key regions mainly distributed in the left occipital lobe. Furthermore, interhemispheric tracts connecting these key regions exhibited significant structural changes primarily in the splenium of the corpus callosum. This result confirms the initial observation that the reorganization in asymmetry of the WM network following congenital visual loss is associated with structural changes in the corpus callosum. These findings provide novel insights into the neuroplasticity and adaptability of the brain, particularly at the network level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saiyi Jiao
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ke Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; School of System Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yudan Luo
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Department of Psychology and Art Education, Chengdu Education Research Institute, Chengdu 610036, China
| | - Jiahong Zeng
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Zaizhu Han
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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Jiao S, Wang K, Zhang L, Luo Y, Lin J, Han Z. Developmental plasticity of the structural network of the occipital cortex in congenital blindness. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:11526-11540. [PMID: 37851850 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The occipital cortex is the visual processing center in the mammalian brain. An unanswered scientific question pertains to the impact of congenital visual deprivation on the development of various profiles within the occipital network. To address this issue, we recruited 30 congenitally blind participants (8 children and 22 adults) as well as 31 sighted participants (10 children and 21 adults). Our investigation focused on identifying the gray matter regions and white matter connections within the occipital cortex, alongside behavioral measures, that demonstrated different developmental patterns between blind and sighted individuals. We discovered significant developmental changes in the gray matter regions and white matter connections of the occipital cortex among blind individuals from childhood to adulthood, in comparison with sighted individuals. Moreover, some of these structures exhibited cognitive functional reorganization. Specifically, in blind adults, the posterior occipital regions (left calcarine fissure and right middle occipital gyrus) showed reorganization of tactile perception, and the forceps major tracts were reorganized for braille reading. These plastic changes in blind individuals may be attributed to experience-dependent neuronal apoptosis, pruning, and myelination. These findings provide valuable insights into the longitudinal neuroanatomical and cognitive functional plasticity of the occipital network following long-term visual deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saiyi Jiao
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ke Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Linjun Zhang
- School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yudan Luo
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Junfeng Lin
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Zaizhu Han
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
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Seydell-Greenwald A, Wang X, Newport EL, Bi Y, Striem-Amit E. Spoken language processing activates the primary visual cortex. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289671. [PMID: 37566582 PMCID: PMC10420367 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary visual cortex (V1) is generally thought of as a low-level sensory area that primarily processes basic visual features. Although there is evidence for multisensory effects on its activity, these are typically found for the processing of simple sounds and their properties, for example spatially or temporally-congruent simple sounds. However, in congenitally blind individuals, V1 is involved in language processing, with no evidence of major changes in anatomical connectivity that could explain this seemingly drastic functional change. This is at odds with current accounts of neural plasticity, which emphasize the role of connectivity and conserved function in determining a neural tissue's role even after atypical early experiences. To reconcile what appears to be unprecedented functional reorganization with known accounts of plasticity limitations, we tested whether V1's multisensory roles include responses to spoken language in sighted individuals. Using fMRI, we found that V1 in normally sighted individuals was indeed activated by comprehensible spoken sentences as compared to an incomprehensible reversed speech control condition, and more strongly so in the left compared to the right hemisphere. Activation in V1 for language was also significant and comparable for abstract and concrete words, suggesting it was not driven by visual imagery. Last, this activation did not stem from increased attention to the auditory onset of words, nor was it correlated with attentional arousal ratings, making general attention accounts an unlikely explanation. Together these findings suggest that V1 responds to spoken language even in sighted individuals, reflecting the binding of multisensory high-level signals, potentially to predict visual input. This capability might be the basis for the strong V1 language activation observed in people born blind, re-affirming the notion that plasticity is guided by pre-existing connectivity and abilities in the typically developed brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Seydell-Greenwald
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Xiaoying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Elissa L. Newport
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Yanchao Bi
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ella Striem-Amit
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
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Paré S, Bleau M, Dricot L, Ptito M, Kupers R. Brain structural changes in blindness: a systematic review and an anatomical likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 150:105165. [PMID: 37054803 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, numerous structural brain imaging studies investigated purported morphometric changes in early (EB) and late onset blindness (LB). The results of these studies have not yielded very consistent results, neither with respect to the type, nor to the anatomical locations of the brain morphometric alterations. To better characterize the effects of blindness on brain morphometry, we performed a systematic review and an Anatomical-Likelihood-Estimation (ALE) coordinate-based-meta-analysis of 65 eligible studies on brain structural changes in EB and LB, including 890 EB, 466 LB and 1257 sighted controls. Results revealed atrophic changes throughout the whole extent of the retino-geniculo-striate system in both EB and LB, whereas changes in areas beyond the occipital lobe occurred in EB only. We discuss the nature of some of the contradictory findings with respect to the used brain imaging methodologies and characteristics of the blind populations such as the onset, duration and cause of blindness. Future studies should aim for much larger sample sizes, eventually by merging data from different brain imaging centers using the same imaging sequences, opt for multimodal structural brain imaging, and go beyond a purely structural approach by combining functional with structural connectivity network analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Paré
- School of Optometry, University of Montreal, Montreal, Qc, Canada
| | - Maxime Bleau
- School of Optometry, University of Montreal, Montreal, Qc, Canada
| | - Laurence Dricot
- Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Maurice Ptito
- School of Optometry, University of Montreal, Montreal, Qc, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Qc, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ron Kupers
- School of Optometry, University of Montreal, Montreal, Qc, Canada; Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Bruxelles, Belgium; Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Marins TF, Russo M, Rodrigues EC, Monteiro M, Moll J, Felix D, Bouzas J, Arcanjo H, Vargas CD, Tovar‐Moll F. Reorganization of thalamocortical connections in congenitally blind humans. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:2039-2049. [PMID: 36661404 PMCID: PMC9980890 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Cross-modal plasticity in blind individuals has been reported over the past decades showing that nonvisual information is carried and processed by "visual" brain structures. However, despite multiple efforts, the structural underpinnings of cross-modal plasticity in congenitally blind individuals remain unclear. We mapped thalamocortical connectivity and assessed the integrity of white matter of 10 congenitally blind individuals and 10 sighted controls. We hypothesized an aberrant thalamocortical pattern of connectivity taking place in the absence of visual stimuli from birth as a potential mechanism of cross-modal plasticity. In addition to the impaired microstructure of visual white matter bundles, we observed structural connectivity changes between the thalamus and occipital and temporal cortices. Specifically, the thalamic territory dedicated to connections with the occipital cortex was smaller and displayed weaker connectivity in congenitally blind individuals, whereas those connecting with the temporal cortex showed greater volume and increased connectivity. The abnormal pattern of thalamocortical connectivity included the lateral and medial geniculate nuclei and the pulvinar nucleus. For the first time in humans, a remapping of structural thalamocortical connections involving both unimodal and multimodal thalamic nuclei has been demonstrated, shedding light on the possible mechanisms of cross-modal plasticity in humans. The present findings may help understand the functional adaptations commonly observed in congenitally blind individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theo F. Marins
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR)Rio de JaneiroBrazil,Post‐Graduation Program in Morphological Sciences (PCM) of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB)Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Maite Russo
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF)Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | | | - Marina Monteiro
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Jorge Moll
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Daniel Felix
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Julia Bouzas
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Helena Arcanjo
- Centro de Oftalmologia EspecializadaRio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Claudia D. Vargas
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF)Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Fernanda Tovar‐Moll
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR)Rio de JaneiroBrazil,Post‐Graduation Program in Morphological Sciences (PCM) of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB)Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
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Bang JW, Chan RW, Parra C, Murphy MC, Schuman JS, Nau AC, Chan KC. Diverging patterns of plasticity in the nucleus basalis of Meynert in early- and late-onset blindness. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad119. [PMID: 37101831 PMCID: PMC10123399 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasticity in the brain is impacted by an individual's age at the onset of the blindness. However, what drives the varying degrees of plasticity remains largely unclear. One possible explanation attributes the mechanisms for the differing levels of plasticity to the cholinergic signals originating in the nucleus basalis of Meynert. This explanation is based on the fact that the nucleus basalis of Meynert can modulate cortical processes such as plasticity and sensory encoding through its widespread cholinergic projections. Nevertheless, there is no direct evidence indicating that the nucleus basalis of Meynert undergoes plastic changes following blindness. Therefore, using multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging, we examined if the structural and functional properties of the nucleus basalis of Meynert differ between early blind, late blind and sighted individuals. We observed that early and late blind individuals had a preserved volumetric size and cerebrovascular reactivity in the nucleus basalis of Meynert. However, we observed a reduction in the directionality of water diffusion in both early and late blind individuals compared to sighted individuals. Notably, the nucleus basalis of Meynert presented diverging patterns of functional connectivity between early and late blind individuals. This functional connectivity was enhanced at both global and local (visual, language and default-mode networks) levels in the early blind individuals, but there were little-to-no changes in the late blind individuals when compared to sighted controls. Furthermore, the age at onset of blindness predicted both global and local functional connectivity. These results suggest that upon reduced directionality of water diffusion in the nucleus basalis of Meynert, cholinergic influence may be stronger for the early blind compared to the late blind individuals. Our findings are important to unravelling why early blind individuals present stronger and more widespread cross-modal plasticity compared to late blind individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Won Bang
- Correspondence may also be addressed to: Ji Won Bang, PhD.
| | - Russell W Chan
- Department of Ophthalmology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY 10017, USA
| | - Carlos Parra
- Department of Ophthalmology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY 10017, USA
| | - Matthew C Murphy
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Joel S Schuman
- Department of Ophthalmology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY 10017, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Center for Neural Science, College of Arts and Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, New York, NY 11201, USA
| | - Amy C Nau
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Korb and Associates, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Kevin C Chan
- Correspondence to: Kevin C. Chan, PhD, Departments of Ophthalmology and Radiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University. 222 E 41st Street, Room 362, New York, NY 10017, USA.
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Lin J, Zhang L, Guo R, Jiao S, Song X, Feng S, Wang K, Li M, Luo Y, Han Z. The influence of visual deprivation on the development of the thalamocortical network: Evidence from congenitally blind children and adults. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119722. [PMID: 36323383 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The thalamus is heavily involved in relaying sensory signals to the cerebral cortex. A relevant issue is how the deprivation of congenital visual sensory information modulates the development of the thalamocortical network. The answer is unclear because previous studies on this topic did not investigate network development, structure-function combinations, and cognition-related behaviors in the same study. To overcome these limitations, we recruited 30 congenitally blind subjects (8 children, 22 adults) and 31 sighted subjects (10 children, 21 adults), and conducted multiple analyses [i.e., gray matter volume (GMV) analysis using the voxel-based morphometry (VBM) method, resting-state functional connectivity (FC), and brain-behavior correlation]. We found that congenital blindness elicited significant changes in the development of GMV in visual and somatosensory thalamic regions. Blindness also resulted in significant changes in the development of FC between somatosensory thalamic regions and visual cortical regions as well as advanced information processing regions. Moreover, the somatosensory thalamic regions and their FCs with visual cortical regions were reorganized to process high-level tactile language information in blind individuals. These findings provide a refined understanding of the neuroanatomical and functional plasticity of the thalamocortical network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junfeng Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Linjun Zhang
- School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Runhua Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Saiyi Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xiaomeng Song
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Suting Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ke Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Mingyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Yudan Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Zaizhu Han
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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Battal C, Gurtubay-Antolin A, Rezk M, Mattioni S, Bertonati G, Occelli V, Bottini R, Targher S, Maffei C, Jovicich J, Collignon O. Structural and Functional Network-Level Reorganization in the Coding of Auditory Motion Directions and Sound Source Locations in the Absence of Vision. J Neurosci 2022; 42:4652-4668. [PMID: 35501150 PMCID: PMC9186796 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1554-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
hMT+/V5 is a region in the middle occipitotemporal cortex that responds preferentially to visual motion in sighted people. In cases of early visual deprivation, hMT+/V5 enhances its response to moving sounds. Whether hMT+/V5 contains information about motion directions and whether the functional enhancement observed in the blind is motion specific, or also involves sound source location, remains unsolved. Moreover, the impact of this cross-modal reorganization of hMT+/V5 on the regions typically supporting auditory motion processing, like the human planum temporale (hPT), remains equivocal. We used a combined functional and diffusion-weighted MRI approach and individual in-ear recordings to study the impact of early blindness on the brain networks supporting spatial hearing in male and female humans. Whole-brain univariate analysis revealed that the anterior portion of hMT+/V5 responded to moving sounds in sighted and blind people, while the posterior portion was selective to moving sounds only in blind participants. Multivariate decoding analysis revealed that the presence of motion direction and sound position information was higher in hMT+/V5 and lower in hPT in the blind group. While both groups showed axis-of-motion organization in hMT+/V5 and hPT, this organization was reduced in the hPT of blind people. Diffusion-weighted MRI revealed that the strength of hMT+/V5-hPT connectivity did not differ between groups, whereas the microstructure of the connections was altered by blindness. Our results suggest that the axis-of-motion organization of hMT+/V5 does not depend on visual experience, but that congenital blindness alters the response properties of occipitotemporal networks supporting spatial hearing in the sighted.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Spatial hearing helps living organisms navigate their environment. This is certainly even more true in people born blind. How does blindness affect the brain network supporting auditory motion and sound source location? Our results show that the presence of motion direction and sound position information was higher in hMT+/V5 and lower in human planum temporale in blind relative to sighted people; and that this functional reorganization is accompanied by microstructural (but not macrostructural) alterations in their connections. These findings suggest that blindness alters cross-modal responses between connected areas that share the same computational goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ceren Battal
- Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Center of Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Ane Gurtubay-Antolin
- Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, 20009, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Mohamed Rezk
- Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Center of Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Stefania Mattioni
- Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Center of Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Giorgia Bertonati
- Center of Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Valeria Occelli
- Center of Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk L39 4QP, United Kingdom
| | - Roberto Bottini
- Center of Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Stefano Targher
- Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Chiara Maffei
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 01129
| | - Jorge Jovicich
- Center of Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Olivier Collignon
- Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Center of Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
- School of Health Sciences, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, 1950 Sion, Switzerland
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Grey Matter Hypertrophy and Atrophy in Early-Blind Adolescents: A Surface-Based Morphometric Study. DISEASE MARKERS 2022; 2022:8550714. [PMID: 35557871 PMCID: PMC9090530 DOI: 10.1155/2022/8550714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Objective This study is aimed at exploring the regional changes in brain cortical morphology (thickness, volume, and surface area) in the early-blind adolescents (EBAs) by using the surface-based morphometric (SBM) method. Methods High-resolution structural T1-weighted images (T1WI) of 23 early-blind adolescents (EBAs) and 21 age- and gender-matched normal-sighted controls (NSCs) were acquired. Structural indices, including cortical thickness (CT), cortical volume (CV), and surface area (SA), were analyzed by using FreeSurfer software, and the correlations between structural indices and the blindness duration were computed by Pearson correlation analysis. Results Compared to controls, EBAs had significantly reduced CV and SA mainly in the primary visual cortex (V1) and decreased CV in the left vision-related cortices (r-MFC). There were no regions that EBAs had a significantly larger CV or SA than NSCs. EBAs had significantly increased CT in the V1 and strongly involved the visual cortex (right lateral occipital gyrus, LOG.R) and the left superior temporal gyrus (STG.L), while it had decreased CT in the left superior parietal lobule (SPL.L) and the right lingual gyrus (LING.R). Additionally, no correlation was found between cortical morphometric measures and clinical variables in the EBA group. Conclusions SBM is a useful method for detecting human brain structural abnormalities in blindness. The results showed that these structural abnormalities in the visual cortex and visual-related areas outside the occipital cortex in the EBAs not only may be influenced by neurodevelopment, degeneration, plasticity, and so on but also involved the interaction of these factors after the early visual deprivation.
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Ocular and cerebral causes of visual impairment in young children and a new scoring system to evaluate visual function. Int Ophthalmol 2022; 42:1897-1904. [PMID: 35088360 DOI: 10.1007/s10792-021-02187-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Childhood blindness is important cause contributing to the burden of blindness. It is necessary to identify the most frequently observed diseases in different populations. We aimed to demonstrate clinical features of low vision children and to evaluate the factors affecting visual function by a new visual function scoring system. METHODS Two hundred forty nine children between the age of 6 months and 3 years were included. Visual function was scored from 0 to 15 according to; response to threat, light, object, presence of fixation, duration of fixation, following of light and object in horizontal, vertical, oblique, and circular gazes, optokinetic nystagmus. Patients were classified according to neurological diagnosis and cranial magnetic resonance imaging findings. Correlation between visual function score and ocular and neurologic findings were evaluated. RESULTS While 136 patients (54.6%) had cerebral visual impairment (CVI), 89 (35.7%) had ocular pathology, 24 patients (9.6%) had combined pathology. The most common ocular and cerebral pathologies were oculocutaneous albinism (23.9%) and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) (27.5%), respectively. Patients with CVI had lower visual function than ocular pathologies. Neurological structural disorders and HIE had worse visual function. Widespread involvement of brain had lower visual function score. Seizure negatively affected visual function. CONCLUSIONS Cerebral causes were found in approximately half of infants and children with low vision who were referred to our center for visual habilitation. The visual function scoring system we developed in this study will provide an opportunity to be objective in the follow-up of babies and in evaluating the effectiveness of visual habilitation programs.
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11
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Kanjlia S, Loiotile RE, Harhen N, Bedny M. 'Visual' cortices of congenitally blind adults are sensitive to response selection demands in a go/no-go task. Neuroimage 2021; 236:118023. [PMID: 33862241 PMCID: PMC8249356 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of occipital cortex plasticity in blindness provide insight into how intrinsic constraints interact with experience to determine cortical specialization. We tested the cognitive nature and anatomical origins of occipital responses during non-verbal, non-spatial auditory tasks. In a go/no-go task, congenitally blind (N=23) and sighted (N=24) individuals heard rapidly occurring (<1/s) non-verbal sounds and made one of two button presses (frequent-go 50%, infrequent-go 25%) or withheld a response (no-go, 25%). Rapid and frequent button presses heighten response selection/inhibition demands on the no-go trials: In sighted and blind adults a right-lateralized prefrontal (PFC) network responded most to no-go trials, followed by infrequent-go and finally frequent-go trials. In the blind group only, a right-lateralized occipital network showed the same response profile and the laterality of occipital and PFC responses was correlated across blind individuals. A second experiment with spoken sentences and equations (N=16) found that no-go responses in occipital cortex are distinct from previously identified occipital responses to spoken language. Finally, in resting-state data (N=30 blind, N=31 blindfolded sighted), no-go responsive 'visual' cortex of blind relative to sighted participants was more synchronized with PFC and less synchronized with primary auditory and sensory-motor cortices. No-go responsive occipital cortex showed higher resting-state correlations with no-go responsive PFC than language responsive inferior frontal cortex. We conclude that in blindness, a right-lateralized occipital network responds to non-verbal executive processes, including response selection. These results suggest that connectivity with fronto-parietal executive networks is a key mechanism for plasticity in blindness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shipra Kanjlia
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, United States; Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, 346 Baker Hall, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States.
| | - Rita E Loiotile
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, United States; Facebook, United States
| | - Nora Harhen
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, United States; Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California Irvine, United States
| | - Marina Bedny
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, United States
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12
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Wang H, Wen H, Li J, Chen Q, Li S, Wang Y, Wang Z. Characterization of Brain Microstructural Abnormalities in High Myopia Patients: A Preliminary Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging Study. Korean J Radiol 2021; 22:1142-1151. [PMID: 33987989 PMCID: PMC8236370 DOI: 10.3348/kjr.2020.0178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To evaluate microstructural damage in high myopia (HM) patients using 3T diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). Materials and Methods This prospective study included 30 HM patients and 33 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) with DKI. Kurtosis parameters including kurtosis fractional anisotropy (FA), mean kurtosis (MK), axial kurtosis (AK), and radial kurtosis (RK) as well as diffusion metrics including FA, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity derived from DKI were obtained. Group differences in these metrics were compared using tract-based spatial statistics. Partial correlation analysis was used to evaluate correlations between microstructural changes and disease duration. Results Compared to HCs, HM patients showed significantly reduced AK, RK, MK, and FA and significantly increased AD, predominately in the bilateral corticospinal tract, right inferior longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and left thalamus (all p < 0.05, threshold-free cluster enhancement corrected). In addition, DKI-derived kurtosis parameters (AK, RK, and MK) had negative correlations (r = −0.448 to −0.376, all p < 0.05) and diffusion parameter (AD) had positive correlations (r = 0.372 to 0.409, all p < 0.05) with disease duration. Conclusion HM patients showed microstructural alterations in the brain regions responsible for motor conduction and vision-related functions. DKI is useful for detecting white matter abnormalities in HM patients, which might be helpful for exploring and monitoring the pathogenesis of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huihui Wang
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongwei Wen
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Qian Chen
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Shanshan Li
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yanling Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenchang Wang
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
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13
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Anurova I, Carlson S, Rauschecker JP. Overlapping Anatomical Networks Convey Cross-Modal Suppression in the Sighted and Coactivation of "Visual" and Auditory Cortex in the Blind. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:4863-4876. [PMID: 30843062 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present combined DTI/fMRI study we investigated adaptive plasticity of neural networks involved in controlling spatial and nonspatial auditory working memory in the early blind (EB). In both EB and sighted controls (SC), fractional anisotropy (FA) within the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus correlated positively with accuracy in a one-back sound localization but not sound identification task. The neural tracts passing through the cluster of significant correlation connected auditory and "visual" areas in the right hemisphere. Activity in these areas during both sound localization and identification correlated with FA within the anterior corpus callosum, anterior thalamic radiation, and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. In EB, FA in these structures correlated positively with activity in both auditory and "visual" areas, whereas FA in SC correlated positively with activity in auditory and negatively with activity in visual areas. The results indicate that frontal white matter conveys cross-modal suppression of occipital areas in SC, while it mediates coactivation of auditory and reorganized "visual" cortex in EB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Anurova
- Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland.,Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Synnöve Carlson
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, School of Science, Aalto University, Espoo 02150, Finland.,Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Josef P Rauschecker
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA.,Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Munich 85748, Germany
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14
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Hribar M, Šuput D, Battelino S, Vovk A. Review article: Structural brain alterations in prelingually deaf. Neuroimage 2020; 220:117042. [PMID: 32534128 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional studies show that our brain has a remarkable ability to reorganize itself in the absence of one or more sensory modalities. In this review, we gathered all the available articles investigating structural alterations in congenitally deaf subjects. Some concentrated only on specific regions of interest (e.g., auditory areas), while others examined the whole brain. The majority of structural alterations were observed in the auditory white matter and were more pronounced in the right hemisphere. A decreased white matter volume or fractional anisotropy in the auditory areas were the most common findings in congenitally deaf subjects. Only a few studies observed alterations in the auditory grey matter. Preservation of the grey matter might be due to the cross-modal plasticity as well as due to the lack of sensitivity of methods used for microstructural alterations of grey matter. Structural alterations were also observed in the frontal, visual, and other cerebral regions as well as in the cerebellum. The observed structural brain alterations in the deaf can probably be attributed mainly to the cross-modal plasticity in the absence of sound input and use of sign instead of spoken language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manja Hribar
- Center for Clinical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology and Cervicofacial Surgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Dušan Šuput
- Center for Clinical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Saba Battelino
- Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology and Cervicofacial Surgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andrej Vovk
- Center for Clinical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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15
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Bennett CR, Bauer CM, Bailin ES, Merabet LB. Neuroplasticity in cerebral visual impairment (CVI): Assessing functional vision and the neurophysiological correlates of dorsal stream dysfunction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:171-181. [PMID: 31655075 PMCID: PMC6949360 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cerebral visual impairment (CVI) results from perinatal injury to visual processing structures and pathways and is the most common individual cause of pediatric visual impairment and blindness in developed countries. While there is mounting evidence demonstrating extensive neuroplastic reorganization in early onset, profound ocular blindness, how the brain reorganizes in the setting of congenital damage to cerebral (i.e. retro-geniculate) visual pathways remains comparatively poorly understood. Individuals with CVI exhibit a wide range of visual deficits and, in particular, present with impairments of higher order visual spatial processing (referred to as "dorsal stream dysfunction") as well as object recognition (associated with processing along the ventral stream). In this review, we discuss the need for ongoing work to develop novel, neuroscience-inspired approaches to investigate functional visual deficits in this population. We also outline the role played by advanced structural and functional neuroimaging in helping to elucidate the underlying neurophysiology of CVI, and highlight key differences with regard to patterns of neural reorganization previously described in ocular blindness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R Bennett
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States
| | - Corinna M Bauer
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States
| | - Emma S Bailin
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States
| | - Lotfi B Merabet
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States.
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16
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Bathelt J, Dale NJ, de Haan M, Clark CA. Brain structure in children with congenital visual disorders and visual impairment. Dev Med Child Neurol 2020; 62:125-131. [PMID: 31393613 PMCID: PMC6916268 DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.14322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
AIM To examine if congenital visual impairment is associated with differences in brain anatomy in children. METHOD Ten children (8-12y) with congenital disorders of the peripheral visual system with severe visual impairment (SVI; >0.8 logMAR) or mild-to-moderate visual impairment (MVI; 0.6-0.8 logMAR) were compared to 21 typically sighted comparison (TSC) children. Thalamus volume, grey matter density, white matter microstructure, and integrity of visual tracts were investigated in SVI, MVI, and TSC groups with anatomical and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS Compared to the TSC group, the SVI group had lower white matter integrity in tracts of the visual system (optic radiations: SVI 0.35±0.015, TSC 0.39±0.007 [p=0.022]; posterior corpus callosum: SVI 0.37±0.019; TSC 0.42±0.009 [p=0.033]) and lower left thalamus volume (SVI 4.37±0.087; TSC 4.99±0.339 [p=0.015]). Neuroanatomical differences were greater in the SVI group, while no consistent differences between the MVI and TSC group were observed. INTERPRETATION Posterior tracts of the visual system are compromised in children with congenital visual impairment versus those who are typically sighted. The severity of visual input appears to have affected neuroanatomical development as significant reductions were only found in the SVI group. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS Severe visual impairment in mid-childhood is associated with reduced integrity of visual pathways and reduced thalamus volume.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Bathelt
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamthe Netherlands
| | - Naomi J Dale
- UCL Great Ormond Street Hospital Institute of Child HealthUniversity College LondonLondonUK,Great Ormond Street Hospital for ChildrenNHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Michelle de Haan
- UCL Great Ormond Street Hospital Institute of Child HealthUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Chris A Clark
- UCL Great Ormond Street Hospital Institute of Child HealthUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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17
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Ricciardi E, Bottari D, Ptito M, Röder B, Pietrini P. The sensory-deprived brain as a unique tool to understand brain development and function. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:78-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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18
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Wong NA, Rafique SA, Moro SS, Kelly KR, Steeves JKE. Altered white matter structure in auditory tracts following early monocular enucleation. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 24:102006. [PMID: 31622842 PMCID: PMC6812283 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Purpose: Similar to early blindness, monocular enucleation (the removal of one eye) early in life results in crossmodal behavioral and morphological adaptations. Previously it has been shown that partial visual deprivation from early monocular enucleation results in structural white matter changes throughout the visual system (Wong et al., 2018). The current study investigated structural white matter of the auditory system in adults who have undergone early monocular enucleation compared to binocular control participants. Methods: We reconstructed four auditory and audiovisual tracts of interest using probabilistic tractography and compared microstructural properties of these tracts to binocularly intact controls using standard diffusion indices. Results: Although both groups demonstrated asymmetries in indices in intrahemispheric tracts, monocular enucleation participants showed asymmetries opposite to control participants in the auditory and A1-V1 tracts. Monocular enucleation participants also demonstrated significantly lower fractional anisotropy in the audiovisual projections contralateral to the enucleated eye relative to control participants. Conclusions: Partial vision loss from early monocular enucleation results in altered structural connectivity that extends into the auditory system, beyond tracts primarily dedicated to vision. Does losing one eye during postnatal maturation affect auditory white matter? Performed DTI of auditory and audiovisual tracts using probabilistic tractography. Patients differed in diffusion indices for auditory and audiovisual tracts. Early eye removal alters auditory white matter in addition to visual tracts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita A Wong
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sara A Rafique
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stefania S Moro
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Jennifer K E Steeves
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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19
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Magrou L, Barone P, Markov NT, Killackey HP, Giroud P, Berland M, Knoblauch K, Dehay C, Kennedy H. How Areal Specification Shapes the Local and Interareal Circuits in a Macaque Model of Congenital Blindness. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:3017-3034. [PMID: 29850900 PMCID: PMC6041985 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
There is little understanding of the structural underpinnings of the functional reorganization of the cortex in the congenitally blind human. Taking advantage of the extensive characterization of the macaque visual system, we examine in macaque the influence of congenital blindness resulting from the removal of the retina during in utero development. This effectively removes the normal influence of the thalamus on cortical development leading to an induced hybrid cortex (HC) combining features of primary visual and extrastriate cortex. Retrograde tracers injected in HC reveal a local, intrinsic connectivity characteristic of higher order areas and show that the HC receives a uniquely strong, purely feedforward projection from striate cortex but no ectopic inputs, except from subiculum, and entorhinal cortex. Statistical modeling of quantitative connectivity data shows that HC is relatively high in the cortical hierarchy and receives a reinforced input from ventral stream areas while the overall organization of the functional streams are conserved. The directed and weighted anophthalmic cortical graph from the present study can be used to construct dynamic and structural models. These findings show how the sensory periphery governs cortical phenotype and reveal the importance of developmental arealization for understanding the functional reorganization in congenital blindness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loïc Magrou
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, Bron, France
| | - Pascal Barone
- Université De Toulouse Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.,Centre De Recherche Cerveau & Cognition, CNRS, UMR 5549, Toulouse, France
| | - Nikola T Markov
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Herbert P Killackey
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Pascale Giroud
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, Bron, France
| | - Michel Berland
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, Bron, France
| | - Kenneth Knoblauch
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, Bron, France
| | - Colette Dehay
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, Bron, France
| | - Henry Kennedy
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, Bron, France.,Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS, Shanghai, China
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20
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Huang X, Li HJ, Peng DC, Ye L, Yang QC, Zhong YL, Zhou FQ, Shao Y. Altered brain network centrality in patients with late monocular blindness: a resting-state fMRI study. Arch Med Sci 2019; 15:1301-1307. [PMID: 31572477 PMCID: PMC6764322 DOI: 10.5114/aoms.2019.87133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The aim of the study was to investigate the underlying functional network brain activity changes in patients with late monocular blindness (MB) and the relationship with their clinical features using the voxel-wise degree centrality (DC) method. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 32 patients with MB (25 males and 7 females), and 32 healthy controls (HCs) (25 males and 7 females) closely matched in age, sex, and education, underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. The DC method was used to assess local features of spontaneous brain activity. Correlation analysis was performed to explore the relationships between the observed mean DC signal values of the different areas and clinical features in these patients. RESULTS Compared with HCs, MB patients had significantly lower DC values in the bilateral cuneus/V1/V2, and significantly higher DC values in the left inferior temporal gyrus and bilateral medial frontal gyrus. However, there was no relationship between the observed mean DC values of the different brain areas and the behavioral performance. CONCLUSIONS Late monocular blindness involves brain function network dysfunction in many regions, which might indicate impairment of the visual cortex and other vision-related brain regions in the MBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Huang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Hai-Jun Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - De-Chang Peng
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Lei Ye
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Qi-Chen Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yu-Lin Zhong
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Fu-Qing Zhou
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Yi Shao
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
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Alterations of the Brain Microstructure and Corresponding Functional Connectivity in Early-Blind Adolescents. Neural Plast 2019; 2019:2747460. [PMID: 30996726 PMCID: PMC6408999 DOI: 10.1155/2019/2747460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although evidence from studies on blind adults indicates that visual deprivation early in life leads to structural and functional disruption and reorganization of the brain, whether young blind people show similar patterns remains unknown. Therefore, this study is aimed at exploring the structural and functional alterations of the brain of early-blind adolescents (EBAs) compared to normal-sighted controls (NSCs) and investigating the effects of residual light perception on brain microstructure and function in EBAs. We obtained magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 23 EBAs (8 with residual light perception (LPs), 15 without light perception (NLPs)) and 21 NSCs (age range 11-19 years old). Whole-brain voxel-based analyses of diffusion tensor imaging metrics and region-of-interest analyses of resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) were performed to compare patterns of brain microstructure and the corresponding RSFC between the groups. The results showed that structural disruptions of LPs and NLPs were mainly located in the occipital visual pathway. Compared with NLPs, LPs showed increased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the superior frontal gyrus and reduced diffusivity in the caudate nucleus. Moreover, the correlations between FA of the occipital cortices or mean diffusivity of the lingual gyrus and age were consistent with the development trajectory of the brain in NSCs, but inconsistent or even opposite in EBAs. Additionally, we found functional, but not structural, reorganization in NLPs compared with NSCs, suggesting that functional neuroplasticity occurs earlier than structural neuroplasticity in EBAs. Altogether, these findings provided new insights into the mechanisms underlying the neural reorganization of the brain in adolescents with early visual deprivation.
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22
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Tomasello R, Wennekers T, Garagnani M, Pulvermüller F. Visual cortex recruitment during language processing in blind individuals is explained by Hebbian learning. Sci Rep 2019; 9:3579. [PMID: 30837569 PMCID: PMC6400975 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39864-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In blind people, the visual cortex takes on higher cognitive functions, including language. Why this functional reorganisation mechanistically emerges at the neuronal circuit level is still unclear. Here, we use a biologically constrained network model implementing features of anatomical structure, neurophysiological function and connectivity of fronto-temporal-occipital areas to simulate word-meaning acquisition in visually deprived and undeprived brains. We observed that, only under visual deprivation, distributed word-related neural circuits 'grew into' the deprived visual areas, which therefore adopted a linguistic-semantic role. Three factors are crucial for explaining this deprivation-related growth: changes in the network's activity balance brought about by the absence of uncorrelated sensory input, the connectivity structure of the network, and Hebbian correlation learning. In addition, the blind model revealed long-lasting spiking neural activity compared to the sighted model during word recognition, which is a neural correlate of enhanced verbal working memory. The present neurocomputational model offers a neurobiological account for neural changes following sensory deprivation, thus closing the gap between cellular-level mechanisms, system-level linguistic and semantic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosario Tomasello
- Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, WE4 Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Thomas Wennekers
- Centre for Robotics and Neural Systems (CRNS), University of Plymouth, A311 Portland Square Building, PL4 8AA, Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom
| | - Max Garagnani
- Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, WE4 Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Computing, Goldsmiths, University of London, SE14 6NW, London, United Kingdom
| | - Friedemann Pulvermüller
- Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, WE4 Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
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23
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Hofstetter S, Sabbah N, Mohand-Saïd S, Sahel JA, Habas C, Safran AB, Amedi A. The development of white matter structural changes during the process of deterioration of the visual field. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2085. [PMID: 30765782 PMCID: PMC6375971 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-38430-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that white matter plasticity in the adult brain is preserved after sensory and behavioral modifications. However, little is known about the progression of structural changes during the process of decline in visual input. Here we studied two groups of patients suffering from advanced retinitis pigmentosa with specific deterioration of the visual field: patients who had lost their peripheral visual field, retaining only central (“tunnel”) vision, and blind patients with complete visual field loss. Testing of these homogeneous groups made it possible to assess the extent to which the white matter is affected by loss of partial visual input and whether partially preserved visual input suffices to sustain stability in tracts beyond the primary visual system. Our results showed gradual changes in diffusivity that are indicative of degenerative processes in the primary visual pathway comprising the optic tract and the optic radiation. Interestingly, changes were also found in tracts of the ventral stream and the corticospinal fasciculus, depicting a gradual reorganisation of these tracts consequentially to the gradual loss of visual field coverage (from intact perception to partial vision to complete blindness). This reorganisation may point to microstructural plasticity underlying adaptive behavior and cross-modal integration after partial visual deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shir Hofstetter
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91220, Jerusalem, Israel. .,The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91220, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Norman Sabbah
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, F-75012, Paris, France
| | - Saddek Mohand-Saïd
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, F-75012, Paris, France.,CHNO des Quinze-Vingts, DHU Sight Restore, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, F-75012, Paris, France
| | - José-Alain Sahel
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, F-75012, Paris, France.,CHNO des Quinze-Vingts, DHU Sight Restore, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, F-75012, Paris, France.,Fondation Ophtalmologique A. de Rothschild, F-75019, Paris, France.,Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Christophe Habas
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, F-75012, Paris, France.,CHNO des Quinze-Vingts, DHU Sight Restore, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, F-75012, Paris, France.,Centre de Neuro-Imagerie, Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, Paris, F-75012, France
| | - Avinoam B Safran
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, F-75012, Paris, France.,CHNO des Quinze-Vingts, DHU Sight Restore, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, F-75012, Paris, France.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91220, Jerusalem, Israel. .,The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91220, Jerusalem, Israel. .,Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, F-75012, Paris, France. .,The Cognitive Science Program, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91220, Jerusalem, Israel.
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24
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Abstract
Early blindness causes fundamental alterations of neural function across more than 25% of cortex-changes that span the gamut from metabolism to behavior and collectively represent one of the most dramatic examples of plasticity in the human brain. The goal of this review is to describe how the remarkable behavioral and neuroanatomical compensations demonstrated by blind individuals provide insights into the extent, mechanisms, and limits of human brain plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ione Fine
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA;
| | - Ji-Min Park
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA;
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25
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Enhanced perception of pitch changes in speech and music in early blind adults. Neuropsychologia 2018; 117:261-270. [PMID: 29906457 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
It is well known that congenitally blind adults have enhanced auditory processing for some tasks. For instance, they show supra-normal capacity to perceive accelerated speech. However, only a few studies have investigated basic auditory processing in this population. In this study, we investigated if pitch processing enhancement in the blind is a domain-general or domain-specific phenomenon, and if pitch processing shares the same properties as in the sighted regarding how scores from different domains are associated. Fifteen congenitally blind adults and fifteen sighted adults participated in the study. We first created a set of personalized native and non-native vowel stimuli using an identification and rating task. Then, an adaptive discrimination paradigm was used to determine the frequency difference limen for pitch direction identification of speech (native and non-native vowels) and non-speech stimuli (musical instruments and pure tones). The results show that the blind participants had better discrimination thresholds than controls for native vowels, music stimuli, and pure tones. Whereas within the blind group, the discrimination thresholds were smaller for musical stimuli than speech stimuli, replicating previous findings in sighted participants, we did not find this effect in the current control group. Further analyses indicate that older sighted participants show higher thresholds for instrument sounds compared to speech sounds. This effect of age was not found in the blind group. Moreover, the scores across domains were not associated to the same extent in the blind as they were in the sighted. In conclusion, in addition to providing further evidence of compensatory auditory mechanisms in early blind individuals, our results point to differences in how auditory processing is modulated in this population.
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26
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Voss P. Brain (re)organization following visual loss. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2018; 10:e1468. [PMID: 29878533 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The study of the neural consequences of sensory loss provides a unique window into the brain's functional and organizational principles. Although the blind visual cortex has been implicated in the cross-modal processing of nonvisual inputs for quite some time, recent research has shown that certain cortical organizational principles are preserved even in the case of complete sensory loss. Furthermore, a growing body of work has shown that markers of neuroplasticity extend to neuroanatomical metrics that include cortical thickness and myelinization. Although our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie sensory deprivation-driven cross-modal plasticity is improving, several critical questions remain unanswered. The specific pathways that underlie the rerouting of nonvisual information, for instance, have not been fully elucidated. The fact that important cross-modal recruitment occurs following transient deprivation in sighted individuals suggests that significant rewiring following blindness may not be required. Furthermore, there are marked individual differences regarding the magnitude and functional relevance of the cross-modal reorganization. It is also not clear to what extent precise environmental factors may play a role in establishing the degree of reorganization across individuals, as opposed to factors that might specifically relate to the cause or the nature of the visual loss. In sum, although many unresolved questions remain, sensory deprivation continues to be an excellent model for studying the plastic nature of the brain. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Brain Function and Dysfunction Psychology > Perception and Psychophysics Neuroscience > Plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice Voss
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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27
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Wong NA, Rafique SA, Kelly KR, Moro SS, Gallie BL, Steeves JKE. Altered white matter structure in the visual system following early monocular enucleation. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 39:133-144. [PMID: 28963811 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Partial visual deprivation from early monocular enucleation (the surgical removal of one eye within the first few years of life) results in a number of long-term morphological adaptations in adult cortical and subcortical visual, auditory, and multisensory brain regions. In this study, we investigated whether early monocular enucleation also results in the altered development of white matter structure. Diffusion tensor imaging and probabilistic tractography were performed to assess potential differences in visual system white matter in adult participants who had undergone early monocular enucleation compared to binocularly intact controls. To examine the microstructural properties of these tracts, mean diffusion parameters including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were extracted bilaterally. Asymmetries opposite to those observed in controls were found for FA, MD, and RD in the optic radiations, the projections from primary visual cortex (V1) to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), and the interhemispheric V1 projections of early monocular enucleation participants. Early monocular enucleation was also associated with significantly lower FA bidirectionally in the interhemispheric V1 projections. These differences were consistently greater for the tracts contralateral to the enucleated eye, and are consistent with the asymmetric LGN volumes and optic tract diameters previously demonstrated in this group of participants. Overall, these results indicate that early monocular enucleation has long-term effects on white matter structure in the visual pathway that results in reduced fiber organization in tracts contralateral to the enucleated eye. Hum Brain Mapp 39:133-144, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita A Wong
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sara A Rafique
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Stefania S Moro
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Brenda L Gallie
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jennifer K E Steeves
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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28
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Evidence from Blindness for a Cognitively Pluripotent Cortex. Trends Cogn Sci 2017; 21:637-648. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Revised: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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29
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Brown HDH, Woodall RL, Kitching RE, Baseler HA, Morland AB. Using magnetic resonance imaging to assess visual deficits: a review. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2017; 36:240-65. [PMID: 27112223 PMCID: PMC4855621 DOI: 10.1111/opo.12293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 02/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Over the last two decades, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been widely used in neuroscience research to assess both structure and function in the brain in health and disease. With regard to vision research, prior to the advent of MRI, researchers relied on animal physiology and human post‐mortem work to assess the impact of eye disease on visual cortex and connecting structures. Using MRI, researchers can non‐invasively examine the effects of eye disease on the whole visual pathway, including the lateral geniculate nucleus, striate and extrastriate cortex. This review aims to summarise research using MRI to investigate structural, chemical and functional effects of eye diseases, including: macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, albinism, and amblyopia. Recent Findings Structural MRI has demonstrated significant abnormalities within both grey and white matter densities across both visual and non‐visual areas. Functional MRI studies have also provided extensive evidence of functional changes throughout the whole of the visual pathway following visual loss, particularly in amblyopia. MR spectroscopy techniques have also revealed several abnormalities in metabolite concentrations in both glaucoma and age‐related macular degeneration. GABA‐edited MR spectroscopy on the other hand has identified possible evidence of plasticity within visual cortex. Summary Collectively, using MRI to investigate the effects on the visual pathway following disease and dysfunction has revealed a rich pattern of results allowing for better characterisation of disease. In the future MRI will likely play an important role in assessing the impact of eye disease on the visual pathway and how it progresses over time.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Heidi A Baseler
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK.,Hull York Medical School, University of York, York, UK
| | - Antony B Morland
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK.,Hull York Medical School, University of York, York, UK
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30
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Domain Selectivity in the Parahippocampal Gyrus Is Predicted by the Same Structural Connectivity Patterns in Blind and Sighted Individuals. J Neurosci 2017; 37:4705-4716. [PMID: 28381591 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3622-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Revised: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Human ventral occipital temporal cortex contains clusters of neurons that show domain-preferring responses during visual perception. Recent studies have reported that some of these clusters show surprisingly similar domain selectivity in congenitally blind participants performing nonvisual tasks. An important open question is whether these functional similarities are driven by similar innate connections in blind and sighted groups. Here we addressed this question focusing on the parahippocampal gyrus (PHG), a region that is selective for large objects and scenes. Based on the assumption that patterns of long-range connectivity shape local computation, we examined whether domain selectivity in PHG is driven by similar structural connectivity patterns in the two populations. Multiple regression models were built to predict the selectivity of PHG voxels for large human-made objects from white matter (WM) connectivity patterns in both groups. These models were then tested using independent data from participants with similar visual experience (two sighted groups) and using data from participants with different visual experience (blind and sighted groups). Strikingly, the WM-based predictions between blind and sighted groups were as successful as predictions between two independent sighted groups. That is, the functional selectivity for large objects of a PHG voxel in a blind participant could be accurately predicted by its WM pattern using the connection-to-function model built from the sighted group data, and vice versa. Regions that significantly predicted PHG selectivity were located in temporal and frontal cortices in both sighted and blind populations. These results show that the large-scale network driving domain selectivity in PHG is independent of vision.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Recent studies have reported intriguingly similar domain selectivity in sighted and congenitally blind individuals in regions within the ventral visual cortex. To examine whether these similarities originate from similar innate connectional roots, we investigated whether the domain selectivity in one population could be predicted by the structural connectivity pattern of the other. We found that the selectivity for large objects of a PHG voxel in a blind participant could be predicted by its structural connectivity pattern using the connection-to-function model built from the sighted group data, and vice versa. These results reveal that the structural connectivity underlying domain selectivity in the PHG is independent of visual experience, providing evidence for nonvisual representations in this region.
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31
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Visual deprivation selectively reshapes the intrinsic functional architecture of the anterior insula subregions. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45675. [PMID: 28358391 PMCID: PMC5372462 DOI: 10.1038/srep45675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The anterior insula (AI) is the core hub of salience network that serves to identify the most relevant stimuli among vast sensory inputs and forward them to higher cognitive regions to guide behaviour. As blind subjects were usually reported with changed perceptive abilities for salient non-visual stimuli, we hypothesized that the resting-state functional network of the AI is selectively reorganized after visual deprivation. The resting-state functional connectivity (FC) of the bilateral dorsal and ventral AI was calculated for twenty congenitally blind (CB), 27 early blind (EB), 44 late blind (LB) individuals and 50 sighted controls (SCs). The FCs of the dorsal AI were strengthened with the dorsal visual stream, while weakened with the ventral visual stream in the blind than the SCs; in contrast, the FCs of the ventral AI of the blind was strengthened with the ventral visual stream. Furthermore, these strengthened FCs of both the dorsal and ventral AI were partially negatively associated with the onset age of blindness. Our result indicates two parallel pathways that selectively transfer non-visual salient information between the deprived “visual” cortex and salience network in blind subjects.
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32
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Bauer CM, Hirsch GV, Zajac L, Koo BB, Collignon O, Merabet LB. Multimodal MR-imaging reveals large-scale structural and functional connectivity changes in profound early blindness. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0173064. [PMID: 28328939 PMCID: PMC5362049 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the setting of profound ocular blindness, numerous lines of evidence demonstrate the existence of dramatic anatomical and functional changes within the brain. However, previous studies based on a variety of distinct measures have often provided inconsistent findings. To help reconcile this issue, we used a multimodal magnetic resonance (MR)-based imaging approach to provide complementary structural and functional information regarding this neuroplastic reorganization. This included gray matter structural morphometry, high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) of white matter connectivity and integrity, and resting state functional connectivity MRI (rsfcMRI) analysis. When comparing the brains of early blind individuals to sighted controls, we found evidence of co-occurring decreases in cortical volume and cortical thickness within visual processing areas of the occipital and temporal cortices respectively. Increases in cortical volume in the early blind were evident within regions of parietal cortex. Investigating white matter connections using HARDI revealed patterns of increased and decreased connectivity when comparing both groups. In the blind, increased white matter connectivity (indexed by increased fiber number) was predominantly left-lateralized, including between frontal and temporal areas implicated with language processing. Decreases in structural connectivity were evident involving frontal and somatosensory regions as well as between occipital and cingulate cortices. Differences in white matter integrity (as indexed by quantitative anisotropy, or QA) were also in general agreement with observed pattern changes in the number of white matter fibers. Analysis of resting state sequences showed evidence of both increased and decreased functional connectivity in the blind compared to sighted controls. Specifically, increased connectivity was evident between temporal and inferior frontal areas. Decreases in functional connectivity were observed between occipital and frontal and somatosensory-motor areas and between temporal (mainly fusiform and parahippocampus) and parietal, frontal, and other temporal areas. Correlations in white matter connectivity and functional connectivity observed between early blind and sighted controls showed an overall high degree of association. However, comparing the relative changes in white matter and functional connectivity between early blind and sighted controls did not show a significant correlation. In summary, these findings provide complimentary evidence, as well as highlight potential contradictions, regarding the nature of regional and large scale neuroplastic reorganization resulting from early onset blindness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinna M. Bauer
- Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Gabriella V. Hirsch
- Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Lauren Zajac
- Center for Biomedical Imaging. Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Bang-Bon Koo
- Center for Biomedical Imaging. Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Olivier Collignon
- Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity Laboratory. University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Lotfi B. Merabet
- Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
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33
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Zhong YF, Tang ZH, Qiang JW, Wu LJ, Wang R, Wang J, Jin LX, Xiao ZB. Changes in DTI parameters in the optic tracts of macaque monkeys with monocular blindness. Neurosci Lett 2016; 636:248-253. [PMID: 27864005 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Revised: 10/19/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
For humans and non-human primates, the alteration of the visual pathway's white matter fibers after visual deprivation has been partially explored. However, the changes in the optic tracts after the transection of the optic nerve have not been well characterized. In the current study, we attempted to investigate the differences in optic tracts between normal and unilateral optic nerve transected macaque monkeys using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Four healthy neonatal macaque monkeys were randomly divided into 2 groups, with 2 in each group. Group A served as a control group, and Group B underwent unilateral (right eye) optic nerve transection to produce monocular blindness. Sixteen months (Group B16M) and thirty-two months (Group B32M) after optic nerve transection, diffusion tensor imaging was performed on all monkeys. Then, we compared fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) in bilateral optic tracts between Group A and Group B and between Group B16M and Group B32M. In both Group B16M and Group B32M, when compared with normal monkeys in Group A, FA was decreased and MD, AD and RD were increased in the bilateral optic tracts of monkeys with monocular blindness. Furthermore, compared with Group B16M, FA was reduced and MD, AD, RD were more obviously increased in the bilateral optic tracts of Group B32M, and noticeable differences in MD, AD and RD were found between the left and right optic tracts in group B32M. We believe that the results of this study would be helpful in investigation of the histological abnormalities of the integrity damage, axonal degeneration and demyelination of optic tracts in macaque monkeys with monocular blindness by DTI parameters in noninvasively and quantitatively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Feng Zhong
- Department of Radiology, Jinshan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Radiology, Eye and ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zuo-Hua Tang
- Department of Radiology, Eye and ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Jin-Wei Qiang
- Department of Radiology, Jinshan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Ling-Jie Wu
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eye and ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Rong Wang
- Department of Radiology, Eye and ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Department of Radiotherapy, Eye and ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Li-Xin Jin
- Siemens Ltd. Healthcare Sector, Shanghai, China
| | - Ze-Bin Xiao
- Department of Radiology, Eye and ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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34
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A study of brain white matter plasticity in early blinds using tract-based spatial statistics and tract statistical analysis. Neuroreport 2016; 26:1151-4. [PMID: 26559727 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000000488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Early blind individuals are known to exhibit structural brain reorganization. Particularly, early-onset blindness may trigger profound brain alterations that affect not only the visual system but also the remaining sensory systems. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allows in-vivo visualization of brain white matter connectivity, and has been extensively used to study brain white matter structure. Among statistical approaches based on DTI, tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) is widely used because of its ability to automatically perform whole brain white matter studies. Tract specific analysis (TSA) is a more recent method that localizes changes in specific white matter bundles. In the present study, we compare TBSS and TSA results of DTI scans from 12 early blind individuals and 13 age-matched sighted controls, with two aims: (a) to investigate white matter alterations associated with early visual deprivation; (b) to examine the relative sensitivity of TSA when compared with TBSS, for both deficit and hypertrophy of white matter microstructures. Both methods give consistent results for broad white matter regions of deficits. However, TBSS does not detect hypertrophy of white matter, whereas TSA shows a higher sensitivity in detecting subtle differences in white matter colocalized to the posterior parietal lobe.
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35
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Shi J, Collignon O, Xu L, Wang G, Kang Y, Leporé F, Lao Y, Joshi AA, Leporé N, Wang Y. Impact of Early and Late Visual Deprivation on the Structure of the Corpus Callosum: A Study Combining Thickness Profile with Surface Tensor-Based Morphometry. Neuroinformatics 2016; 13:321-336. [PMID: 25649876 DOI: 10.1007/s12021-014-9259-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Blindness represents a unique model to study how visual experience may shape the development of brain organization. Exploring how the structure of the corpus callosum (CC) reorganizes ensuing visual deprivation is of particular interest due to its important functional implication in vision (e.g., via the splenium of the CC). Moreover, comparing early versus late visually deprived individuals has the potential to unravel the existence of a sensitive period for reshaping the CC structure. Here, we develop a novel framework to capture a complete set of shape differences in the CC between congenitally blind (CB), late blind (LB) and sighted control (SC) groups. The CCs were manually segmented from T1-weighted brain MRI and modeled by 3D tetrahedral meshes. We statistically compared the combination of local area and thickness at each point between subject groups. Differences in area are found using surface tensor-based morphometry; thickness is estimated by tracing the streamlines in the volumetric harmonic field. Group differences were assessed on this combined measure using Hotelling's T(2) test. Interestingly, we observed that the total callosal volume did not differ between the groups. However, our fine-grained analysis reveals significant differences mostly localized around the splenium areas between both blind groups and the sighted group (general effects of blindness) and, importantly, specific dissimilarities between the LB and CB groups, illustrating the existence of a sensitive period for reorganization. The new multivariate statistics also gave better effect sizes for detecting morphometric differences, relative to other statistics. They may boost statistical power for CC morphometric analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Shi
- School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | - Liang Xu
- School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Gang Wang
- School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Information and Electrical Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai, China
| | - Yue Kang
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Franco Leporé
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Yi Lao
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Anand A Joshi
- Signal and Image Processing Institute, Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Natasha Leporé
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology & Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yalin Wang
- School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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36
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Simultaneous Assessment of White Matter Changes in Microstructure and Connectedness in the Blind Brain. Neural Plast 2016; 2016:6029241. [PMID: 26881120 PMCID: PMC4736370 DOI: 10.1155/2016/6029241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the human brain has provided converging evidence that visual deprivation induces regional changes in white matter (WM) microstructure. It remains unclear how these changes modify network connections between brain regions. Here we used diffusion-weighted MRI to relate differences in microstructure and structural connectedness of WM in individuals with congenital or late-onset blindness relative to normally sighted controls. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provided voxel-specific microstructural features of the tissue, while anatomical connectivity mapping (ACM) assessed the connectedness of each voxel with the rest of the brain. ACM yielded reduced anatomical connectivity in the corpus callosum in individuals with congenital but not late-onset blindness. ACM did not identify any brain region where blindness resulted in increased anatomical connectivity. DTI revealed widespread microstructural differences as indexed by a reduced regional fractional anisotropy (FA). Blind individuals showed lower FA in the primary visual and the ventral visual processing stream relative to sighted controls regardless of the blindness onset. The results show that visual deprivation shapes WM microstructure and anatomical connectivity, but these changes appear to be spatially dissociated as changes emerge in different WM tracts. They also indicate that regional differences in anatomical connectivity depend on the onset of blindness.
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Huang X, Li HJ, Zhang Y, Peng DC, Hu PH, Zhong YL, Zhou FQ, Shao Y. Microstructural changes of the whole brain in patients with comitant strabismus: evidence from a diffusion tensor imaging study. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2016; 12:2007-14. [PMID: 27574432 PMCID: PMC4991538 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s108834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) using a diffusion tensor imaging technique and whole-brain voxel-based analysis in patients with comitant strabismus. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 19 (nine males and ten females) patients with comitant strabismus and 19 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent magnetic resonance imaging examination. Imaging data were analyzed using two-sample t-tests to identify group differences in FA and MD values. Patients with comitant strabismus were distinguishable from HCs by receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS Compared with HCs, patients with comitant strabismus exhibited significantly decreased FA values in the brain regions of the left superior temporal gyrus and increased values in the bilateral medial frontal gyrus, right globus pallidus/brainstem, and bilateral precuneus. Meanwhile, MD value was significantly reduced in the brain regions of the bilateral cerebellum posterior lobe and left middle frontal gyrus but increased in the brain regions of the right middle frontal gyrus and left anterior cingulate. CONCLUSION These results suggest significant brain abnormalities in comitant strabismus, which may underlie the pathologic mechanisms of fusion defects and ocular motility disorders in patients with comitant strabismus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Huang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang; Department of Ophthalmology, The First People's Hospital of Jiujiang City, Jiujiang
| | - Hai-Jun Li
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang
| | - De-Chang Peng
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Pei-Hong Hu
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang
| | - Yu-Lin Zhong
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang
| | - Fu-Qing Zhou
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Shao
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang
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Blindness alters the microstructure of the ventral but not the dorsal visual stream. Brain Struct Funct 2015; 221:2891-903. [PMID: 26134685 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1078-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2014] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Visual deprivation from birth leads to reorganisation of the brain through cross-modal plasticity. Although there is a general agreement that the primary afferent visual pathways are altered in congenitally blind individuals, our knowledge about microstructural changes within the higher-order visual streams, and how this is affected by onset of blindness, remains scant. We used diffusion tensor imaging and tractography to investigate microstructural features in the dorsal (superior longitudinal fasciculus) and ventral (inferior longitudinal and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi) visual pathways in 12 congenitally blind, 15 late blind and 15 normal sighted controls. We also studied six prematurely born individuals with normal vision to control for the effects of prematurity on brain connectivity. Our data revealed a reduction in fractional anisotropy in the ventral but not the dorsal visual stream for both congenitally and late blind individuals. Prematurely born individuals, with normal vision, did not differ from normal sighted controls, born at term. Our data suggest that although the visual streams are structurally developing without normal visual input from the eyes, blindness selectively affects the microstructure of the ventral visual stream regardless of the time of onset. We suggest that the decreased fractional anisotropy of the ventral stream in the two groups of blind subjects is the combined result of both degenerative and cross-modal compensatory processes, affecting normal white matter development.
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Wong C, Chabot N, Kok MA, Lomber SG. Amplified somatosensory and visual cortical projections to a core auditory area, the anterior auditory field, following early- and late-onset deafness. J Comp Neurol 2015; 523:1925-47. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Revised: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Wong
- Cerebral Systems Laboratory, University of Western Ontario; London Ontario N6A 5K8 Canada
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience; University of Western Ontario; London Ontario N6A 5K8 Canada
| | - Nicole Chabot
- Cerebral Systems Laboratory, University of Western Ontario; London Ontario N6A 5K8 Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology; University of Western Ontario; London Ontario N6A 5K8 Canada
| | - Melanie A. Kok
- Cerebral Systems Laboratory, University of Western Ontario; London Ontario N6A 5K8 Canada
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience; University of Western Ontario; London Ontario N6A 5K8 Canada
| | - Stephen G. Lomber
- Cerebral Systems Laboratory, University of Western Ontario; London Ontario N6A 5K8 Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology; University of Western Ontario; London Ontario N6A 5K8 Canada
- Department of Psychology; University of Western Ontario; London Ontario N6A 5K8 Canada
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario; London Ontario N6A 5K8 Canada
- National Centre for Audiology, University of Western Ontario; London Ontario N6A 5K8 Canada
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Dietrich S, Hertrich I, Kumar V, Ackermann H. Experience-related structural changes of degenerated occipital white matter in late-blind humans - a diffusion tensor imaging study. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0122863. [PMID: 25830371 PMCID: PMC4382192 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2014] [Accepted: 02/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Late-blind humans can learn to understand speech at ultra-fast syllable rates (ca. 20 syllables/s), a capability associated with hemodynamic activation of the central-visual system. Thus, the observed functional cross-modal recruitment of occipital cortex might facilitate ultra-fast speech processing in these individuals. To further elucidate the structural prerequisites of this skill, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was conducted in late-blind subjects differing in their capability of understanding ultra-fast speech. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was determined as a quantitative measure of the directionality of water diffusion, indicating fiber tract characteristics that might be influenced by blindness as well as the acquired perceptual skills. Analysis of the diffusion images revealed reduced FA in late-blind individuals relative to sighted controls at the level of the optic radiations at either side and the right-hemisphere dorsal thalamus (pulvinar). Moreover, late-blind subjects showed significant positive correlations between FA and the capacity of ultra-fast speech comprehension within right-hemisphere optic radiation and thalamus. Thus, experience-related structural alterations occurred in late-blind individuals within visual pathways that, presumably, are linked to higher order frontal language areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Dietrich
- Department of General Neurology—Center for Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, D-72076, Tübingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Ingo Hertrich
- Department of General Neurology—Center for Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, D-72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Vinod Kumar
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital, RWTH, Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Hermann Ackermann
- Department of General Neurology—Center for Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, D-72076, Tübingen, Germany
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Deen B, Saxe R, Bedny M. Occipital cortex of blind individuals is functionally coupled with executive control areas of frontal cortex. J Cogn Neurosci 2015; 27:1633-47. [PMID: 25803598 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
In congenital blindness, the occipital cortex responds to a range of nonvisual inputs, including tactile, auditory, and linguistic stimuli. Are these changes in functional responses to stimuli accompanied by altered interactions with nonvisual functional networks? To answer this question, we introduce a data-driven method that searches across cortex for functional connectivity differences across groups. Replicating prior work, we find increased fronto-occipital functional connectivity in congenitally blind relative to blindfolded sighted participants. We demonstrate that this heightened connectivity extends over most of occipital cortex but is specific to a subset of regions in the inferior, dorsal, and medial frontal lobe. To assess the functional profile of these frontal areas, we used an n-back working memory task and a sentence comprehension task. We find that, among prefrontal areas with overconnectivity to occipital cortex, one left inferior frontal region responds to language over music. By contrast, the majority of these regions responded to working memory load but not language. These results suggest that in blindness occipital cortex interacts more with working memory systems and raise new questions about the function and mechanism of occipital plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Deen
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Ohno N, Murai H, Suzuki Y, Kiyosawa M, Tokumaru AM, Ishii K, Ohno-Matsui K. Alteration of the optic radiations using diffusion-tensor MRI in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Br J Ophthalmol 2015; 99:1051-4. [DOI: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2014-305809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2014] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Bock AS, Fine I. Anatomical and functional plasticity in early blind individuals and the mixture of experts architecture. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:971. [PMID: 25566016 PMCID: PMC4269126 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2014] [Accepted: 11/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
As described elsewhere in this special issue, recent advances in neuroimaging over the last decade have led to a rapid expansion in our knowledge of anatomical and functional correlations within the normal and abnormal human brain. Here, we review how early blindness has been used as a model system for examining the role of visual experience in the development of anatomical connections and functional responses. We discuss how lack of power in group comparisons may provide a potential explanation for why extensive anatomical changes in cortico-cortical connectivity are not observed. Finally we suggest a framework-cortical specialization via hierarchical mixtures of experts-which offers some promise in reconciling a wide range of functional and anatomical data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S. Bock
- Department of Psychology, University of WashingtonSeattle, WA, USA
| | - Ione Fine
- Department of Psychology, University of WashingtonSeattle, WA, USA
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Voss P, Pike BG, Zatorre RJ. Evidence for both compensatory plastic and disuse atrophy-related neuroanatomical changes in the blind. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 137:1224-40. [PMID: 24648057 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awu030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
The behavioural and neurofunctional consequences of blindness are becoming increasingly well established, and it has become evident that the amount of reorganization is directly linked to the behavioural adaptations observed in the blind. However investigations of potential neuroanatomical changes resulting from blindness have yielded conflicting results as to the nature of the observed changes, because apparent loss of occipital tissue is difficult to reconcile with observed functional recruitment. To address this issue we used two complementary brain measures of neuroanatomy, voxel-based morphometry and magnetization transfer imaging, with the latter providing insight into myelin concentration through the magnetization transfer ratio. Both early and late blind, as well as sighted control subjects participated in the study and were tested on a series of auditory and tactile tasks to provide behavioural data that we could relate to neuroanatomy. The behavioural findings show that the early blind outperform the sighted in four of five tasks, whereas the late blind do so for only one. Moreover, correlations between the auditory and tactile performance of early blind individuals seem to indicate that they might benefit from some general-purpose compensatory plasticity mechanisms, as opposed to modality-specific ones. Neuroanatomical findings reveal three key findings: (i) occipital regions in the early blind have higher magnetization transfer ratio and grey matter concentration than in the sighted; (ii) behavioural performance of the blind is strongly predicted by magnetization transfer ratio and grey matter concentration in different occipital regions; and (iii) lower grey matter and white matter concentration was also found in other occipital areas in the early blind compared to the sighted. We thus show a clear dissociation between anatomical changes that are direct result of sensory deprivation and consequent atrophy, and those related to compensatory reorganization and behavioural adaptations. Moreover, the magnetization transfer ratio results also suggest that one mechanism for this reorganization may be related to increased myelination of intracortical neurons, or perhaps of fibres conveying information to and from remote locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice Voss
- 1 Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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Du H, Xie B, Lu P, Feng H, Wang J, Yuan S. Impaired white-matter integrity in photosensitive epilepsy: A DTI study using tract-based spatial statistics. J Neuroradiol 2014; 41:131-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurad.2013.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2012] [Revised: 05/28/2013] [Accepted: 06/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Vestibular loss and balance training cause similar changes in human cerebral white matter fractional anisotropy. PLoS One 2014; 9:e95666. [PMID: 24776524 PMCID: PMC4002428 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2013] [Accepted: 03/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with bilateral vestibular loss suffer from severe balance deficits during normal everyday movements. Ballet dancers, figure skaters, or slackliners, in contrast, are extraordinarily well trained in maintaining balance for the extreme balance situations that they are exposed to. Both training and disease can lead to changes in the diffusion properties of white matter that are related to skill level or disease progression respectively. In this study, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to compare white matter diffusivity between these two study groups and their age- and sex-matched controls. We found that vestibular patients and balance-trained subjects show a reduction of fractional anisotropy in similar white matter tracts, due to a relative increase in radial diffusivity (perpendicular to the main diffusion direction). Reduced fractional anisotropy was not only found in sensory and motor areas, but in a widespread network including long-range connections, limbic and association pathways. The reduced fractional anisotropy did not correlate with any cognitive, disease-related or skill-related factors. The similarity in FA between the two study groups, together with the absence of a relationship between skill or disease factors and white matter changes, suggests a common mechanism for these white matter differences. We propose that both study groups must exert increased effort to meet their respective usual balance requirements. Since balance training has been shown to effectively reduce the symptoms of vestibular failure, the changes in white matter shown here may represent a neuronal mechanism for rehabilitation.
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Distinguishing and quantification of the human visual pathways using high-spatial-resolution diffusion tensor tractography. Magn Reson Imaging 2014; 32:796-803. [PMID: 24856625 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2014.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2013] [Revised: 03/08/2014] [Accepted: 04/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Quantification of the living human visual system using MRI methods has been challenging, but several applications demand a reliable and time-efficient data acquisition protocol. In this study, we demonstrate the utility of high-spatial-resolution diffusion tensor fiber tractography (DTT) in reconstructing and quantifying the human visual pathways. Five healthy males, age range 24-37years, were studied after approval of the institutional review board (IRB) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. We acquired diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data with 1-mm slice thickness on a 3.0-Tesla clinical MRI scanner and analyzed the data using DTT with the fiber assignment by continuous tractography (FACT) algorithm. By utilizing the high-spatial-resolution DTI protocol with FACT algorithm, we were able to reconstruct and quantify bilateral optic pathways including the optic chiasm, optic tract, optic radiations free of contamination from neighboring white matter tracts.
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Mind the blind brain to understand the sighted one! Is there a supramodal cortical functional architecture? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 41:64-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2013] [Revised: 08/13/2013] [Accepted: 10/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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49
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Qin W, Xuan Y, Liu Y, Jiang T, Yu C. Functional Connectivity Density in Congenitally and Late Blind Subjects. Cereb Cortex 2014; 25:2507-16. [PMID: 24642421 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual deprivation during different developmental periods leads to different structural and functional alterations in the brain; however, the effects of visual deprivation on the spontaneous functional organization of the brain remain largely unknown. In this study, we used voxel-based functional connectivity density (FCD) analyses to investigate the effects of visual deprivation during different developmental periods on the spontaneous functional organization of the brain. Compared with the sighted controls (SC), both the congenitally blind (CB) and the late blind (LB) exhibited decreased short- and long-range FCDs in the primary visual cortex (V1) and decreased long-range FCDs in the primary somatosensory and auditory cortices. Although both the CB and LB exhibited increased short-range FCD in the dorsal visual stream, the CB exhibited greater increases in the short- and long-range FCDs in the ventral visual stream and hippocampal complex compared with the LB. Moreover, the short-range FCD of the left V1 exhibited a significant positive correlation with the duration of blindness in the LB. Our findings suggest that visual deprivation before the developmental sensitive period can induce more extensive brain functional reorganization than does visual deprivation after the sensitive period, which may underlie an enhanced capacity for processing nonvisual information in the CB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Qin
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging
| | - Yun Xuan
- Department of Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Yong Liu
- Brainnetome Center, Institute of Automation, National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Tianzi Jiang
- Brainnetome Center, Institute of Automation, National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Chunshui Yu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging
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Neurochemical changes within human early blind occipital cortex. Neuroscience 2013; 252:222-33. [PMID: 23954804 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2012] [Revised: 08/01/2013] [Accepted: 08/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Early blindness results in occipital cortex neurons responding to a wide range of auditory and tactile stimuli. These changes in tuning properties are accompanied by an extensive reorganization of the occipital cortex that includes alterations in anatomical structure, neurochemical and metabolic pathways. Although it has been established in animal models that neurochemical pathways are heavily affected by early visual deprivation, the effects of blindness on these pathways in humans is still not well characterized. Here, using (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy in nine early blind and normally sighted subjects, we find that early blindness is associated with higher levels of creatine, choline and myo-Inositol and indications of lower levels of GABA within the occipital cortex. These results suggest that the cross-modal responses associated with early blindness may, at least in part, be driven by changes within occipital biochemical pathways.
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