1
|
Brown RE. Measuring the replicability of our own research. J Neurosci Methods 2024; 406:110111. [PMID: 38521128 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2024.110111] [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: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
In the study of transgenic mouse models of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, we use batteries of tests to measure deficits in behaviour and from the results of these tests, we make inferences about the mental states of the mice that we interpret as deficits in "learning", "memory", "anxiety", "depression", etc. This paper discusses the problems of determining whether a particular transgenic mouse is a valid mouse model of disease X, the problem of background strains, and the question of whether our behavioural tests are measuring what we say they are. The problem of the reliability of results is then discussed: are they replicable between labs and can we replicate our results in our own lab? This involves the study of intra- and inter- experimenter reliability. The variables that influence replicability and the importance of conducting a complete behavioural phenotype: sensory, motor, cognitive and social emotional behaviour are discussed. Then the thorny question of failure to replicate is examined: Is it a curse or a blessing? Finally, the role of failure in research and what it tells us about our research paradigms is examined.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard E Brown
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ben-David BM, Chebat DR, Icht M. "Love looks not with the eyes": supranormal processing of emotional speech in individuals with late-blindness versus preserved processing in individuals with congenital-blindness. Cogn Emot 2024:1-14. [PMID: 38785380 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2024.2357656] [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: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Processing of emotional speech in the absence of visual information relies on two auditory channels: semantics and prosody. No study to date has investigated how blindness impacts this process. Two theories, Perceptual Deficit, and Sensory Compensation, yiled different expectations about the role of visual experience (or its lack thereof) in processing emotional speech. To test the effect of vision and early visual experience on processing of emotional speech, we compared individuals with congenital blindness (CB, n = 17), individuals with late blindness (LB, n = 15), and sighted controls (SC, n = 21) on identification and selective-attention of semantic and prosodic spoken-emotions. Results showed that individuals with blindness performed at least as well as SC, supporting Sensory Compensation and the role of cortical reorganisation. Individuals with LB outperformed individuals with CB, in accordance with Perceptual Deficit, supporting the role of early visual experience. The LB advantage was moderated by executive functions (working-memory). Namely, the advantage was erased for individuals with CB who showed higher levels of executive functions. Results suggest that vision is not necessary for processing of emotional speech, but early visual experience could improve it. The findings support a combination of the two aforementioned theories and reject a dichotomous view of deficiencies/enhancements of blindness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Boaz M Ben-David
- Communication, Aging, and Neuropsychology Lab (CANlab), Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University (IDC), Herzliya, Israel
- Department of Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- KITE, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Networks (UHN), Toronto, Canada
| | - Daniel-Robert Chebat
- Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (VCN Lab), The Department of Psychology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
- Navigation and Accessibility Research Center (NARCA), Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Michal Icht
- Department of Communication Disorders, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Huang S, Wu SJ, Sansone G, Ibrahim LA, Fishell G. Layer 1 neocortex: Gating and integrating multidimensional signals. Neuron 2024; 112:184-200. [PMID: 37913772 PMCID: PMC11180419 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.09.041] [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: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Layer 1 (L1) of the neocortex acts as a nexus for the collection and processing of widespread information. By integrating ascending inputs with extensive top-down activity, this layer likely provides critical information regulating how the perception of sensory inputs is reconciled with expectation. This is accomplished by sorting, directing, and integrating the complex network of excitatory inputs that converge onto L1. These signals are combined with neuromodulatory afferents and gated by the wealth of inhibitory interneurons that either are embedded within L1 or send axons from other cortical layers. Together, these interactions dynamically calibrate information flow throughout the neocortex. This review will primarily focus on L1 within the primary sensory cortex and will use these insights to understand L1 in other cortical areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuhan Huang
- Harvard Medical School, Blavatnik Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Program in Neuroscience, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Sherry Jingjing Wu
- Harvard Medical School, Blavatnik Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Giulia Sansone
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Leena Ali Ibrahim
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
| | - Gord Fishell
- Harvard Medical School, Blavatnik Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Alemi R, Wolfe J, Neumann S, Manning J, Towler W, Koirala N, Gracco VL, Deroche M. Audiovisual integration in children with cochlear implants revealed through EEG and fNIRS. Brain Res Bull 2023; 205:110817. [PMID: 37989460 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110817] [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: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Sensory deprivation can offset the balance of audio versus visual information in multimodal processing. Such a phenomenon could persist for children born deaf, even after they receive cochlear implants (CIs), and could potentially explain why one modality is given priority over the other. Here, we recorded cortical responses to a single speaker uttering two syllables, presented in audio-only (A), visual-only (V), and audio-visual (AV) modes. Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) were successively recorded in seventy-five school-aged children. Twenty-five were children with normal hearing (NH) and fifty wore CIs, among whom 26 had relatively high language abilities (HL) comparable to those of NH children, while 24 others had low language abilities (LL). In EEG data, visual-evoked potentials were captured in occipital regions, in response to V and AV stimuli, and they were accentuated in the HL group compared to the LL group (the NH group being intermediate). Close to the vertex, auditory-evoked potentials were captured in response to A and AV stimuli and reflected a differential treatment of the two syllables but only in the NH group. None of the EEG metrics revealed any interaction between group and modality. In fNIRS data, each modality induced a corresponding activity in visual or auditory regions, but no group difference was observed in A, V, or AV stimulation. The present study did not reveal any sign of abnormal AV integration in children with CI. An efficient multimodal integrative network (at least for rudimentary speech materials) is clearly not a sufficient condition to exhibit good language and literacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Razieh Alemi
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada.
| | - Jace Wolfe
- Oberkotter Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Sara Neumann
- Hearts for Hearing Foundation, 11500 Portland Av., Oklahoma City, OK 73120, USA
| | - Jacy Manning
- Hearts for Hearing Foundation, 11500 Portland Av., Oklahoma City, OK 73120, USA
| | - Will Towler
- Hearts for Hearing Foundation, 11500 Portland Av., Oklahoma City, OK 73120, USA
| | - Nabin Koirala
- Haskins Laboratories, 300 George St., New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | | | - Mickael Deroche
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Tian M, Xiao X, Hu H, Cusack R, Bedny M. Visual experience shapes functional connectivity between occipital and non-visual networks. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.21.528939. [PMID: 36865300 PMCID: PMC9980152 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.21.528939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Comparisons across adults with different sensory histories (blind vs. sighted) have uncovered effects of experience on human brain function. In people born blind visual cortices are responsive to non-visual tasks and show altered functional connectivity at rest. Since almost all research has been done with adults, little is known about the developmental origins of this plasticity. Are infant visual cortices initially functionally like those of sighted adults and blindness causes reorganization? Alternatively, do infants start like blind adults, with vision required to set up the sighted pattern? To distinguish between these possibilities, we compare resting state functional connectivity across blind (n = 30) and blindfolded sighted (n = 50) adults to a large cohort of sighted infants (Developing Human Connectome Project, n = 475). Remarkably, we find that infant secondary visual cortices functionally resemble those of blind more than sighted adults, consistent with the idea that visual experience is required to set up long-range functional connectivity. Primary visual cortices show a mixture of instructive effects of vision and reorganizing effects of blindness. Specifically, in sighted adults, visual cortices show stronger functional coupling with nonvisual sensory-motor networks (i.e., auditory, somatosensory/motor) than with higher-cognitive prefrontal cortices (PFC). In blind adults, visual cortices show stronger coupling with PFC. In infants, connectivity of secondary visual cortices is stronger with PFC, while V1 shows equal sensory-motor/PFC connectivity. In contrast, lateralization of occipital-to-frontal connectivity resembles the sighted adults at birth and is reorganized by blindness, possibly due to recruitment of occipital networks for lateralized cognitive functions, such as language.
Collapse
|
6
|
Ossandón JP, Stange L, Gudi-Mindermann H, Rimmele JM, Sourav S, Bottari D, Kekunnaya R, Röder B. The development of oscillatory and aperiodic resting state activity is linked to a sensitive period in humans. Neuroimage 2023; 275:120171. [PMID: 37196987 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120171] [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: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital blindness leads to profound changes in electroencephalographic (EEG) resting state activity. A well-known consequence of congenital blindness in humans is the reduction of alpha activity which seems to go together with increased gamma activity during rest. These results have been interpreted as indicating a higher excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) ratio in visual cortex compared to normally sighted controls. Yet it is unknown whether the spectral profile of EEG during rest would recover if sight were restored. To test this question, the present study evaluated periodic and aperiodic components of the EEG resting state power spectrum. Previous research has linked the aperiodic components, which exhibit a power-law distribution and are operationalized as a linear fit of the spectrum in log-log space, to cortical E/I ratio. Moreover, by correcting for the aperiodic components from the power spectrum, a more valid estimate of the periodic activity is possible. Here we analyzed resting state EEG activity from two studies involving (1) 27 permanently congenitally blind adults (CB) and 27 age-matched normally sighted controls (MCB); (2) 38 individuals with reversed blindness due to bilateral, dense, congenital cataracts (CC) and 77 age-matched sighted controls (MCC). Based on a data driven approach, aperiodic components of the spectra were extracted for the low frequency (Lf-Slope 1.5 to 19.5 Hz) and high frequency (Hf-Slope 20 to 45 Hz) range. The Lf-Slope of the aperiodic component was significantly steeper (more negative slope), and the Hf-Slope of the aperiodic component was significantly flatter (less negative slope) in CB and CC participants compared to the typically sighted controls. Alpha power was significantly reduced, and gamma power was higher in the CB and the CC groups. These results suggest a sensitive period for the typical development of the spectral profile during rest and thus likely an irreversible change in the E/I ratio in visual cortex due to congenital blindness. We speculate that these changes are a consequence of impaired inhibitory circuits and imbalanced feedforward and feedback processing in early visual areas of individuals with a history of congenital blindness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- José P Ossandón
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Liesa Stange
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Helene Gudi-Mindermann
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Johanna M Rimmele
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany; Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Max Planck NYU Center for Language, Music, and Emotion Frankfurt am Main, Germany, New York, NY, USA
| | - Suddha Sourav
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Davide Bottari
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy
| | - Ramesh Kekunnaya
- Child Sight Institute, Jasti V Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India
| | - Brigitte Röder
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; Child Sight Institute, Jasti V Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Cardin V, Kremneva E, Komarova A, Vinogradova V, Davidenko T, Zmeykina E, Kopnin PN, Iriskhanova K, Woll B. Resting-state functional connectivity in deaf and hearing individuals and its link to executive processing. Neuropsychologia 2023; 185:108583. [PMID: 37142052 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108583] [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: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Sensory experience shapes brain structure and function, and it is likely to influence the organisation of functional networks of the brain, including those involved in cognitive processing. Here we investigated the influence of early deafness on the organisation of resting-state networks of the brain and its relation to executive processing. We compared resting-state connectivity between deaf and hearing individuals across 18 functional networks and 400 ROIs. Our results showed significant group differences in connectivity between seeds of the auditory network and most large-scale networks of the brain, in particular the somatomotor and salience/ventral attention networks. When we investigated group differences in resting-state fMRI and their link to behavioural performance in executive function tasks (working memory, inhibition and switching), differences between groups were found in the connectivity of association networks of the brain, such as the salience/ventral attention and default-mode networks. These findings indicate that sensory experience influences not only the organisation of sensory networks, but that it also has a measurable impact on the organisation of association networks supporting cognitive processing. Overall, our findings suggest that different developmental pathways and functional organisation can support executive processing in the adult brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Velia Cardin
- Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre, UCL, London, UK.
| | - Elena Kremneva
- Department of Radiology, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna Komarova
- Galina Zaitseva Centre for Deaf Studies and Sign Language, Moscow, Russia; Language Department, Moscow State Linguistics University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Valeria Vinogradova
- Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre, UCL, London, UK; Galina Zaitseva Centre for Deaf Studies and Sign Language, Moscow, Russia; School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Tatiana Davidenko
- Galina Zaitseva Centre for Deaf Studies and Sign Language, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elina Zmeykina
- Department of Radiology, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia; Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany
| | - Petr N Kopnin
- Department of Neurorehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Kira Iriskhanova
- Language Department, Moscow State Linguistics University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Bencie Woll
- Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre, UCL, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Huh CYL, Leinonen H, Nakayama T, Tomasello JR, Zhang J, Zeitoun J, Peach JP, Halabi M, Kiser JZ, Palczewski K, Kiser PD, Gandhi SP. Retinoid therapy restores eye-specific cortical responses in adult mice with retinal degeneration. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4538-4546.e5. [PMID: 36152631 PMCID: PMC10083103 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.09.005] [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: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite the recent emergence of multiple cellular and molecular strategies to restore vision in retinal disorders, it remains unclear to what extent central visual circuits can recover when retinal defects are corrected in adulthood. We addressed this question in an Lrat-/- mouse model of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) in which retinal light sensitivity and optomotor responses are partially restored by 9-cis-retinyl acetate administration in adulthood. Following treatment, two-photon calcium imaging revealed increases in the number and response amplitude of visually responsive neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1). In particular, retinoid treatment enhanced responses from the ipsilateral eye, restoring the normal balance of eye-specific responses in V1. Additionally, the treatment rescued the modulation of cortical responses by arousal. These findings illustrate the significant plasticity of the adult central visual system and underscore the therapeutic potential of retinoid administration for adults with retinal diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carey Y L Huh
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Henri Leinonen
- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Center for Translational Vision Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio 70211, Finland
| | - Taylor Nakayama
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Julia R Tomasello
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Jianye Zhang
- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Center for Translational Vision Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Jack Zeitoun
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - John P Peach
- Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Maximilian Halabi
- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Center for Translational Vision Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Jianying Z Kiser
- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Center for Translational Vision Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Krzysztof Palczewski
- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Center for Translational Vision Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Philip D Kiser
- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Center for Translational Vision Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Research Service, VA Long Beach Healthcare System, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA; Department of Clinical Pharmacy Practice, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Sunil P Gandhi
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Senna I, Piller S, Gori M, Ernst M. The power of vision: calibration of auditory space after sight restoration from congenital cataracts. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220768. [PMID: 36196538 PMCID: PMC9532985 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0768] [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: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Early visual deprivation typically results in spatial impairments in other sensory modalities. It has been suggested that, since vision provides the most accurate spatial information, it is used for calibrating space in the other senses. Here we investigated whether sight restoration after prolonged early onset visual impairment can lead to the development of more accurate auditory space perception. We tested participants who were surgically treated for congenital dense bilateral cataracts several years after birth. In Experiment 1 we assessed participants' ability to understand spatial relationships among sounds, by asking them to spatially bisect three consecutive, laterally separated sounds. Participants performed better after surgery than participants tested before. However, they still performed worse than sighted controls. In Experiment 2, we demonstrated that single sound localization in the two-dimensional frontal plane improves quickly after surgery, approaching performance levels of sighted controls. Such recovery seems to be mediated by visual acuity, as participants gaining higher post-surgical visual acuity performed better in both experiments. These findings provide strong support for the hypothesis that vision calibrates auditory space perception. Importantly, this also demonstrates that this process can occur even when vision is restored after years of visual deprivation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Senna
- Applied Cognitive Psychology, Faculty for Computer Science, Engineering, and Psychology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Sophia Piller
- Applied Cognitive Psychology, Faculty for Computer Science, Engineering, and Psychology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Monica Gori
- Unit for Visually Impaired People (U-VIP), Center for Human Technologies, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Marc Ernst
- Applied Cognitive Psychology, Faculty for Computer Science, Engineering, and Psychology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Ossandón JP, Zerr P, Shareef I, Kekunnaya R, Röder B. Active vision in sight recovery individuals with a history of long-lasting congenital blindness. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0051-22.2022. [PMID: 36163106 PMCID: PMC9532021 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0051-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
What we see is intimately linked to how we actively and systematically explore the world through eye movements. However, it is unknown to what degree visual experience during early development is necessary for such systematic visual exploration to emerge. The present study investigated visual exploration behavior in ten human participants whose sight had been restored only in childhood or adulthood, after a period of congenital blindness due to dense bilateral congenital cataracts. Participants freely explored real-world images while their eye movements were recorded. Despite severe residual visual impairments and gaze instability (nystagmus), visual exploration patterns were preserved in individuals with reversed congenital cataract. Modelling analyses indicated that similar to healthy controls, visual exploration in individuals with reversed congenital cataract was based on the low-level (luminance contrast) and high-level (object components) visual content of the images. Moreover, participants used visual short-term memory representations for narrowing down the exploration space. More systematic visual exploration in individuals with reversed congenital cataract was associated with better object recognition, suggesting that active vision might be a driving force for visual system development and recovery. The present results argue against a sensitive period for the development of neural mechanisms associated with visual exploration.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTHumans explore the visual world with systematic patterns of eye movements, but it is unknown whether early visual experience is necessary for the acquisition of visual exploration. Here, we show that sight recovery individuals who had been born blind demonstrate highly systematic eye movements while exploring real-world images, despite visual impairments and pervasive gaze instability. In fact, their eye movement patterns were predicted by those of normally sighted controls and models calculating eye movements based on low- and high-level visual features, and they moreover took memory information into account. Since object recognition performance was associated with systematic visual exploration it was concluded that eye movements might be a driving factor for the development of the visual system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- José P Ossandón
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paul Zerr
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Idris Shareef
- Child Sight Institute, Jasti V Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India
| | - Ramesh Kekunnaya
- Child Sight Institute, Jasti V Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India
| | - Brigitte Röder
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Guerreiro MJS, Kekunnaya R, Röder B. Top-down modulation of visual cortical processing after transient congenital blindness. Neuropsychologia 2022; 174:108338. [PMID: 35931134 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108338] [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: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Early visual experience has been shown to be critical for the development of visual and multisensory functions; however, its impact on functional brain organization remains largely unexplored. Here, we therefore investigated the effect of early visual deprivation on top-down attentional modulation of visual cortical processing within the occipito-temporal cortex. Furthermore, we explored whether early visual deprivation may affect the extent to which typically visual, motion-selective area hMT responds to moving visual stimuli. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we compared cortical responses in area hMT and in the fusiform face area (FFA) to moving face stimuli - which were either task relevant or task irrelevant - relative to stationary face stimuli between cataract-reversal participants and normally sighted controls. Although both groups exhibited significantly stronger visual cortical responses in area hMT to moving stimuli than during the stationary baseline, the magnitude of this effect was significantly lower in the cataract-reversal group. In contrast, both groups exhibited significantly enhanced visual cortical responses in area hMT and in the FFA when moving face stimuli were task relevant compared to when they were task irrelevant, with no significant differences between groups in the magnitude of these effects. These results indicate that top-down attentional modulation of visual cortical processing in area hMT and FFA does not depend on early visual experience. Furthermore, the present results suggest that the functional specialization of area hMT for visual motion processing may be partially disrupted by early visual deprivation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria J S Guerreiro
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, D-20146, Hamburg, Germany; Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstr. 114-118, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany.
| | - Ramesh Kekunnaya
- Child Sight Institute, Jasti V. Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Strabismus and Neuro-Ophthalmology, L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Kallam Anji Reddy Campus, Hyderabad, 500034, Telengana, India
| | - Brigitte Röder
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, D-20146, Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Mortazavi M, Aigner K, Antono JE, Gambacorta C, Nahum M, Levi DM, Föcker J. Intramodal cortical plastic changes after moderate visual impairment in human amblyopia. iScience 2022; 25:104871. [PMID: 36034215 PMCID: PMC9403333 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
|
13
|
Rączy K, Hölig C, Guerreiro MJS, Lingareddy S, Kekunnaya R, Röder B. Typical resting state activity of the brain requires visual input during an early sensitive period. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac146. [PMID: 35836836 PMCID: PMC9275761 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory deprivation, following a total loss of one sensory modality e.g. vision, has been demonstrated to result in compensatory plasticity. It is yet not known to which extent neural changes, e.g. higher resting-state activity in visual areas (cross-modal plasticity) as a consequence of blindness, reverse, when sight is restored. Here, we used functional MRI to acquire blood oxygen level-dependent resting-state activity during an eyes open and an eyes closed state in congenital cataract-reversal individuals, developmental cataract-reversal individuals, congenitally permanently blind individuals and sighted controls. The amplitude of low frequency fluctuation of the blood oxygen level-dependent signal—a neural marker of spontaneous brain activity during rest—was analyzed. In accordance with previous reports, in normally sighted controls we observed an increase in amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation during rest with the eyes open compared with rest with eyes closed in visual association areas and in parietal cortex but a decrease in auditory and sensorimotor regions. In congenital cataract-reversal individuals, we found an increase of the amplitude of slow blood oxygen level-dependent fluctuations in visual cortex during rest with eyes open compared with rest with eyes closed too but this increase was larger in amplitude than in normally sighted controls. In contrast, congenital cataract-reversal individuals lagged a similar increase in parietal regions and did not show the typical decrease of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation in auditory cortex. Congenitally blind individuals displayed an overall higher amplitude in slow blood oxygen level-dependent fluctuations in visual cortex compared with sighted individuals and compared with congenital cataract-reversal individuals in the eyes closed condition. Higher amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation in visual cortex of congenital cataract-reversal individuals than in normally sighted controls during eyes open might indicate an altered excitatory–inhibitory balance of visual neural circuits. By contrast, the lower parietal increase and the missing downregulation in auditory regions suggest a reduced influence of the visual system on multisensory and the other sensory systems after restoring sight in congenitally blind individuals. These results demonstrate a crucial dependence of visual and multisensory neural system functioning on visual experience during a sensitive phase in human brain development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Rączy
- University of Hamburg Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, , 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cordula Hölig
- University of Hamburg Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, , 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria J. S. Guerreiro
- University of Hamburg Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, , 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, Carl Von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg , 26111, Oldenburg, Germany
| | | | - Ramesh Kekunnaya
- Child Sight Institute, LV Prasad Eye Institute Jasti V Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, , 500034 Hyderabad, India
| | - Brigitte Röder
- University of Hamburg Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, , 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Zohary E, Harari D, Ullman S, Ben-Zion I, Doron R, Attias S, Porat Y, Sklar AY, Mckyton A. Gaze following requires early visual experience. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2117184119. [PMID: 35549552 PMCID: PMC9171757 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2117184119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Gaze understanding—a suggested precursor for understanding others’ intentions—requires recovery of gaze direction from the observed person's head and eye position. This challenging computation is naturally acquired at infancy without explicit external guidance, but can it be learned later if vision is extremely poor throughout early childhood? We addressed this question by studying gaze following in Ethiopian patients with early bilateral congenital cataracts diagnosed and treated by us only at late childhood. This sight restoration provided a unique opportunity to directly address basic issues on the roles of “nature” and “nurture” in development, as it caused a selective perturbation to the natural process, eliminating some gaze-direction cues while leaving others still available. Following surgery, the patients’ visual acuity typically improved substantially, allowing discrimination of pupil position in the eye. Yet, the patients failed to show eye gaze-following effects and fixated less than controls on the eyes—two spontaneous behaviors typically seen in controls. Our model for unsupervised learning of gaze direction explains how head-based gaze following can develop under severe image blur, resembling preoperative conditions. It also suggests why, despite acquiring sufficient resolution to extract eye position, automatic eye gaze following is not established after surgery due to lack of detailed early visual experience. We suggest that visual skills acquired in infancy in an unsupervised manner will be difficult or impossible to acquire when internal guidance is no longer available, even when sufficient image resolution for the task is restored. This creates fundamental barriers to spontaneous vision recovery following prolonged deprivation in early age.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ehud Zohary
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Daniel Harari
- Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Shimon Ullman
- Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Itay Ben-Zion
- Department of Ophthalmology, Padeh Medical Center, Poriya 15208, Israel
| | - Ravid Doron
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem 91010, Israel
| | - Sara Attias
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Yuval Porat
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Asael Y. Sklar
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Ayelet Mckyton
- Neurology Department, Hadassah Medical Organization and Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Feng Y, Collignon O, Maurer D, Yao K, Gao X. Brief Postnatal Visual Deprivation Triggers Long-Lasting Interactive Structural and Functional Reorganization of the Human Cortex. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8:752021. [PMID: 34869446 PMCID: PMC8635780 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.752021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients treated for bilateral congenital cataracts provide a unique model to test the role of early visual input in shaping the development of the human cortex. Previous studies showed that brief early visual deprivation triggers long-lasting changes in the human visual cortex. However, it remains unknown if such changes interact with the development of other parts of the cortex. With high-resolution structural and resting-state fMRI images, we found changes in cortical thickness within, but not limited to, the visual cortex in adult patients, who experienced transient visual deprivation early in life as a result of congenital cataracts. Importantly, the covariation of cortical thickness across regions was also altered in the patients. The areas with altered cortical thickness in patients also showed differences in functional connectivity between patients and normally sighted controls. Together, the current findings suggest an impact of early visual deprivation on the interactive development of the human cortex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yixuan Feng
- Eye Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab of Ophthalmology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Olivier Collignon
- Institute of Research in Psychology/Institute of Neuroscience, University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.,Centro Interdipartimentale Mente/Cervello, Università di Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Daphne Maurer
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ke Yao
- Eye Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab of Ophthalmology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoqing Gao
- Center for Psychological Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Pitchaimuthu K, Dormal G, Sourav S, Shareef I, Rajendran SS, Ossandón JP, Kekunnaya R, Röder B. Steady state evoked potentials indicate changes in nonlinear neural mechanisms of vision in sight recovery individuals. Cortex 2021; 144:15-28. [PMID: 34562698 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.08.001] [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: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Humans with a transient phase of congenital pattern vision deprivation have been observed to feature prevailing deficits, particularly in higher order visual functions. However, the neural correlates of these prevalent visual impairments remain unclear. To probe different visual processing stages, we measured steady state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) generated by luminance flicker stimuli at 6.1 Hz, with superimposed horizontal periodic motion at 2.1 Hz or 2.4 Hz. SSVEP responses at the fundamental and second harmonic of luminance flicker frequency, and at their intermodulation frequencies with motion information, were analyzed. Three groups were tested: (1) 15 individuals who had suffered a lack of pattern vision from birth due to the presence of bilateral total congenital cataracts (CC group), which were surgically removed between 4 months and 22 years of age, (2) 13 individuals with reversed developmental i.e., later developing cataracts (DC group), and (3) normally sighted control participants (SC group; n = 13) matched in age and sex to the CC individuals. SSVEPs at the second harmonic frequency (i.e., 12.2 Hz) and at the intermodulation frequencies (8.2 Hz, and 8.5 Hz) were attenuated in the CC group. In contrast, fundamental frequency responses (i.e., at 6.1 Hz) were not significantly altered in the CC group compared to the control groups (SC and DC groups). Based on previous evidence on the role of striate vs. extrastriate generators of fundamental vs. second harmonics of SSVEPs, these results provide evidence for a stronger experience dependence of extrastriate than striate cortical processing, and furthermore, suggest a sensitive period for the development of putative nonlinear neural mechanisms hypothesized to mediate visual feature binding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kabilan Pitchaimuthu
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Giulia Dormal
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Suddha Sourav
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Idris Shareef
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; Child Sight Institute, Jasti V Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, L V Prasad Eye Institute, 500 034 Hyderabad, India
| | - Siddhart S Rajendran
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; Child Sight Institute, Jasti V Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, L V Prasad Eye Institute, 500 034 Hyderabad, India
| | - José Pablo Ossandón
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ramesh Kekunnaya
- Child Sight Institute, Jasti V Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, L V Prasad Eye Institute, 500 034 Hyderabad, India
| | - Brigitte Röder
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Senna I, Cuturi LF, Gori M, Ernst MO, Cappagli G. Editorial: Spatial and Temporal Perception in Sensory Deprivation. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:671836. [PMID: 33859550 PMCID: PMC8042209 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.671836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Senna
- Department of Applied Cognitive Psychology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Monica Gori
- Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Genoa, Italy
| | - Marc O Ernst
- Department of Applied Cognitive Psychology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Giulia Cappagli
- Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Genoa, Italy.,Neurological Institute Foundation Casimiro Mondino (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico), Pavia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|