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Williams JC, Tubiolo PN, Zheng ZJ, Silver-Frankel EB, Pham DT, Haubold NK, Abeykoon SK, Abi-Dargham A, Horga G, Van Snellenberg JX. Functional Localization of the Human Auditory and Visual Thalamus Using a Thalamic Localizer Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Task. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.28.591516. [PMID: 38746171 PMCID: PMC11092475 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.28.591516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the auditory and visual sensory systems of the human brain is an active area of investigation in the study of human health and disease. The medial geniculate nucleus (MGN) and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) are key thalamic nuclei involved in the processing and relay of auditory and visual information, respectively, and are the subject of blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI studies of neural activation and functional connectivity in human participants. However, localization of BOLD fMRI signal originating from neural activity in MGN and LGN remains a technical challenge, due in part to the poor definition of boundaries of these thalamic nuclei in standard T1-weighted and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging sequences. Here, we report the development and evaluation of an auditory and visual sensory thalamic localizer (TL) fMRI task that produces participant-specific functionally-defined regions of interest (fROIs) of both MGN and LGN, using 3 Tesla multiband fMRI and a clustered-sparse temporal acquisition sequence, in less than 16 minutes of scan time. We demonstrate the use of MGN and LGN fROIs obtained from the TL fMRI task in standard resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) fMRI analyses in the same participants. In RSFC analyses, we validated the specificity of MGN and LGN fROIs for signals obtained from primary auditory and visual cortex, respectively, and benchmark their performance against alternative atlas- and segmentation-based localization methods. The TL fMRI task and analysis code (written in Presentation and MATLAB, respectively) have been made freely available to the wider research community.
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Werth R. Dyslexia Due to Visual Impairments. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2559. [PMID: 37760998 PMCID: PMC10526907 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11092559] [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: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Reading involves many different abilities that are necessary or sufficient conditions for fluent and flawless reading. The absence of one necessary or of all sufficient conditions is a cause of dyslexia. The present study investigates whether too short fixation times and an impaired ability to recognize a string of letters simultaneously are causes of dyslexia. The frequency and types of reading mistakes were investigated in a tachistoscopic pseudoword experiment with 100 children with dyslexia to test the impact of too short fixation times and the attempts of children with dyslexia to recognize more letters simultaneously than they can when reading pseudowords. The experiment demonstrates that all types of reading mistakes disappear when the fixation time increases and/or the number of letters that the children try to recognize simultaneously is reduced. The results cannot be interpreted as being due to altered visual crowding, impaired attention, or impaired phonological awareness, but can be regarded as an effect of impaired temporal summation and a dysfunction in the ventral stream of the visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinhard Werth
- Institute for Social Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Haydnstr. 5, D-80336 München, Germany
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3
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Rahmati M, Curtis CE, Sreenivasan KK. Mnemonic representations in human lateral geniculate nucleus. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1094226. [PMID: 37234404 PMCID: PMC10206025 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1094226] [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: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a growing appreciation for the role of the thalamus in high-level cognition. Motivated by findings that internal cognitive state drives activity in feedback layers of primary visual cortex (V1) that target the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), we investigated the role of LGN in working memory (WM). Specifically, we leveraged model-based neuroimaging approaches to test the hypothesis that human LGN encodes information about spatial locations temporarily encoded in WM. First, we localized and derived a detailed topographic organization in LGN that accords well with previous findings in humans and non-human primates. Next, we used models constructed on the spatial preferences of LGN populations in order to reconstruct spatial locations stored in WM as subjects performed modified memory-guided saccade tasks. We found that population LGN activity faithfully encoded the spatial locations held in memory in all subjects. Importantly, our tasks and models allowed us to dissociate the locations of retinal stimulation and the motor metrics of memory-guided saccades from the maintained spatial locations, thus confirming that human LGN represents true WM information. These findings add LGN to the growing list of subcortical regions involved in WM, and suggest a key pathway by which memories may influence incoming processing at the earliest levels of the visual hierarchy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masih Rahmati
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, United States
- Division of Science and Mathematics, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Clayton E. Curtis
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, United States
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kartik K. Sreenivasan
- Division of Science and Mathematics, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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4
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D’Argenio G, Finisguerra A, Urgesi C. Spatial Frequency Tuning of Body Inversion Effects. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020190. [PMID: 36831733 PMCID: PMC9954120 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Body inversion effects (BIEs) reflect the deployment of the configural processing of body stimuli. BIE modulates the activity of body-selective areas within both the dorsal and the ventral streams, which are tuned to low (LSF) or high spatial frequencies (HSF), respectively. The specific contribution of different bands to the configural processing of bodies along gender and posture dimensions, however, is still unclear. Seventy-two participants performed a delayed matching-to-sample paradigm in which upright and inverted bodies, differing for gender or posture, could be presented in their original intact form or in the LSF- or HSF-filtered version. In the gender discrimination task, participants' performance was enhanced by the presentation of HSF images. Conversely, for the posture discrimination task, a better performance was shown for either HSF or LSF images. Importantly, comparing the amount of BIE across spatial-frequency conditions, we found greater BIEs for HSF than LSF images in both tasks, indicating that configural body processing may be better supported by HSF information, which will bias processing in the ventral stream areas. Finally, the exploitation of HSF information for the configural processing of body postures was lower in individuals with higher autistic traits, likely reflecting a stronger reliance on the local processing of body-part details.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia D’Argenio
- PhD Program in Neural and Cognitive Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34128 Trieste, Italy
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy
- Correspondence: (G.D.); (C.U.)
| | | | - Cosimo Urgesi
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Pasian di Prato (Udine), 33037 Udine, Italy
- Correspondence: (G.D.); (C.U.)
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5
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Oishi H, Takemura H, Amano K. Macromolecular tissue volume mapping of lateral geniculate nucleus subdivisions in living human brains. Neuroimage 2023; 265:119777. [PMID: 36462730 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119777] [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: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) is a key thalamic nucleus in the visual system, which has an important function in relaying retinal visual input to the visual cortex. The human LGN is composed mainly of magnocellular (M) and parvocellular (P) subdivisions, each of which has different stimulus selectivity in neural response properties. Previous studies have discussed the potential relationship between LGN subdivisions and visual disorders based on psychophysical data on specific types of visual stimuli. However, these relationships remain speculative because non-invasive measurements of these subdivisions are difficult due to the small size of the LGN. Here we propose a method to identify these subdivisions by combining two structural MR measures: high-resolution proton-density weighted images and macromolecular tissue volume (MTV) maps. We defined the M and P subdivisions based on MTV fraction data and tested the validity of the definition by (1) comparing the data with that from human histological studies, (2) comparing the data with functional magnetic resonance imaging measurements on stimulus selectivity, and (3) analyzing the test-retest reliability. The findings demonstrated that the spatial organization of the M and P subdivisions was consistent across subjects and in line with LGN subdivisions observed in human histological data. Moreover, the difference in stimulus selectivity between the subdivisions identified using MTV was consistent with previous physiology literature. The definition of the subdivisions based on MTV was shown to be robust over measurements taken on different days. These results suggest that MTV mapping is a promising approach for evaluating the tissue properties of LGN subdivisions in living humans. This method potentially will enable neuroscientific and clinical hypotheses about the human LGN subdivisions to be tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Oishi
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Suita 565-0871, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan; Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94704, United States.
| | - Hiromasa Takemura
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Suita 565-0871, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan; Division of Sensory and Cognitive Brain Mapping, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan; Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama 240-0193, Japan.
| | - Kaoru Amano
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Suita 565-0871, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan; Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
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6
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Kody E, Diwadkar VA. Magnocellular and parvocellular contributions to brain network dysfunction during learning and memory: Implications for schizophrenia. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 156:520-531. [PMID: 36351307 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.10.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Memory deficits are core features of schizophrenia, and a central aim in biological psychiatry is to identify the etiology of these deficits. Scrutiny is naturally focused on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the hippocampal cortices, given these structures' roles in memory and learning. The fronto-hippocampal framework is valuable but restrictive. Network-based underpinnings of learning and memory are substantially diverse and include interactions between hetero-modal and early sensory networks. Thus, a loss of fidelity in sensory information may impact memorial and cognitive processing in higher-order brain sub-networks, becoming a sensory source for learning and memory deficits. In this overview, we suggest that impairments in magno- and parvo-cellular visual pathways result in degraded inputs to core learning and memory networks. The ascending cascade of aberrant neural events significantly contributes to learning and memory deficits in schizophrenia. We outline the network bases of these effects, and suggest that any network perspectives of dysfunction in schizophrenia must assess the impact of impaired perceptual contributions. Finally, we speculate on how this framework enriches the space of biomarkers and expands intervention strategies to ameliorate this prototypical disconnection syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Kody
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Vaibhav A Diwadkar
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, USA.
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7
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Pavan A, Koc Yilmaz S, Kafaligonul H, Battaglini L, Blurton SP. Motion processing impaired by transient spatial attention: Potential implications for the magnocellular pathway. Vision Res 2022; 199:108080. [PMID: 35749832 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2022.108080] [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: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Spatial cues presented prior to the presentation of a static stimulus usually improve its perception. However, previous research has also shown that transient exogenous cues to direct spatial attention to the location of a forthcoming stimulus can lead to reduced performance. In the present study, we investigated the effects of transient exogenous cues on the perception of briefly presented drifting Gabor patches. The spatial and temporal frequencies of the drifting Gabors were chosen to mainly engage the magnocellular pathway. We found better performance in the motion direction discrimination task when neutral cues were presented before the drifting target compared to a valid spatial cue. The behavioral results support the hypothesis that transient attention prolongs the internal response to the attended stimulus, thus reducing the temporal segregation of visual events. These results were complemented by applying a recently developed model for perceptual decisions to rule out a speed-accuracy trade-off and to further assess cueing effects on visual performance. In a model-based assessment, we found that valid cues initially enhanced processing but overall resulted in less efficient processing compared to neutral cues, possibly caused by reduced temporal segregation of visual events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Pavan
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat, 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
| | - Seyma Koc Yilmaz
- National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey; Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Hulusi Kafaligonul
- National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey; Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Luca Battaglini
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Steven P Blurton
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353 København, Denmark
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8
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Kurzawski JW, Lunghi C, Biagi L, Tosetti M, Morrone MC, Binda P. Short-term plasticity in the human visual thalamus. eLife 2022; 11:74565. [PMID: 35384840 PMCID: PMC9020816 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While there is evidence that the visual cortex retains a potential for plasticity in adulthood, less is known about the subcortical stages of visual processing. Here we asked whether short-term ocular dominance plasticity affects the human visual thalamus. We addressed this question in normally sighted adult humans, using ultra-high field (7T) magnetic resonance imaging combined with the paradigm of short-term monocular deprivation. With this approach, we previously demonstrated transient shifts of perceptual eye dominance and ocular dominance in visual cortex (Binda et al., 2018). Here we report evidence for short-term plasticity in the ventral division of the pulvinar (vPulv), where the deprived eye representation was enhanced over the non-deprived eye. This ventral-pulvinar plasticity was similar as previously seen in visual cortex and it was correlated with the ocular dominance shift measured behaviorally. In contrast, there was no effect of monocular deprivation in two adjacent thalamic regions: dorsal pulvinar (dPulv), and Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN). We conclude that the visual thalamus retains potential for short-term plasticity in adulthood; the plasticity effect differs across thalamic subregions, possibly reflecting differences in their cortico-fugal connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claudia Lunghi
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paola Binda
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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9
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Loss and enhancement of layer-selective signals in geniculostriate and corticotectal pathways of adult human amblyopia. Cell Rep 2021; 37:110117. [PMID: 34910903 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
How abnormal visual experiences early in life influence human subcortical pathways is poorly understood. Using high-resolution fMRI and pathway-selective visual stimuli, we investigate the influence of amblyopia on response properties and the effective connectivity of subcortical visual pathways of the adult human brain. Compared to the normal and fellow eyes, stimuli presented to the amblyopic eye show selectively reduced response in the parvocellular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus and weaker effective connectivity to V1. Compared to the normal eye, the response of the amblyopic eye to chromatic stimulus decreases in the superficial layers of the superior colliculus, while response of the fellow eye robustly increases in the deep SC with stronger connectivity from the visual cortex. Therefore, amblyopia leads to selective parvocellular alterations of the geniculostriate and corticotectal pathways. These findings provide the neural basis for amblyopic deficits in visual acuity, ocular motor control, and attention.
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10
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Müller-Axt C, Eichner C, Rusch H, Kauffmann L, Bazin PL, Anwander A, Morawski M, von Kriegstein K. Mapping the human lateral geniculate nucleus and its cytoarchitectonic subdivisions using quantitative MRI. Neuroimage 2021; 244:118559. [PMID: 34562697 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The human lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the visual thalamus is a key subcortical processing site for visual information analysis. Due to its small size and deep location within the brain, a non-invasive characterization of the LGN and its microstructurally distinct magnocellular (M) and parvocellular (P) subdivisions in humans is challenging. Here, we investigated whether structural quantitative MRI (qMRI) methods that are sensitive to underlying microstructural tissue features enable MR-based mapping of human LGN M and P subdivisions. We employed high-resolution 7 Tesla in-vivo qMRI in N = 27 participants and ultra-high resolution 7 Tesla qMRI of a post-mortem human LGN specimen. We found that a quantitative assessment of the LGN and its subdivisions is possible based on microstructure-informed qMRI contrast alone. In both the in-vivo and post-mortem qMRI data, we identified two components of shorter and longer longitudinal relaxation time (T1) within the LGN that coincided with the known anatomical locations of a dorsal P and a ventral M subdivision, respectively. Through ground-truth histological validation, we further showed that the microstructural MRI contrast within the LGN pertains to cyto- and myeloarchitectonic tissue differences between its subdivisions. These differences were based on cell and myelin density, but not on iron content. Our qMRI-based mapping strategy paves the way for an in-depth understanding of LGN function and microstructure in humans. It further enables investigations into the selective contributions of LGN subdivisions to human behavior in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa Müller-Axt
- Faculty of Psychology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden 01069, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
| | - Cornelius Eichner
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Henriette Rusch
- Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Louise Kauffmann
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany; LPNC, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble 38000, France
| | - Pierre-Louis Bazin
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Integrative Model-Based Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1001 NK, The Netherlands
| | - Alfred Anwander
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Markus Morawski
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany
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11
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Wu TY, Wang YX, Li XM. Applications of dynamic visual acuity test in clinical ophthalmology. Int J Ophthalmol 2021; 14:1771-1778. [PMID: 34804869 PMCID: PMC8569558 DOI: 10.18240/ijo.2021.11.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamic visual acuity test (DVAT) plays a key role in the assessment of vestibular function, the visual function of athletes, as well as various ocular diseases. As the visual pathways conducting dynamic and static signals are different, DVATs may have potential advantages over the traditional visual acuity tests commonly used, such as static visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and static perimetry. Here, we provide a review of commonly applied DVATs and their several uses in clinical ophthalmology. These data indicate that the DVAT has its unique clinical significance in the evaluation of several ocular disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Yi Wu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Restoration of Damaged Ocular Nerve, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yue-Xin Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Restoration of Damaged Ocular Nerve, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xue-Min Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Restoration of Damaged Ocular Nerve, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
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12
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Werth R. Is Developmental Dyslexia Due to a Visual and Not a Phonological Impairment? Brain Sci 2021; 11:1313. [PMID: 34679378 PMCID: PMC8534212 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11101313] [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: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
It is a widely held belief that developmental dyslexia (DD) is a phonological disorder in which readers have difficulty associating graphemes with their corresponding phonemes. In contrast, the magnocellular theory of dyslexia assumes that DD is a visual disorder caused by dysfunctional magnocellular neural pathways. The review explores arguments for and against these theories. Recent results have shown that DD is caused by (1) a reduced ability to simultaneously recognize sequences of letters that make up words, (2) longer fixation times required to simultaneously recognize strings of letters, and (3) amplitudes of saccades that do not match the number of simultaneously recognized letters. It was shown that pseudowords that could not be recognized simultaneously were recognized almost without errors when the fixation time was extended. However, there is an individual maximum number of letters that each reader with DD can recognize simultaneously. Findings on the neurobiological basis of temporal summation have shown that a necessary prolongation of fixation times is due to impaired processing mechanisms of the visual system, presumably involving magnocells and parvocells. An area in the mid-fusiform gyrus also appears to play a significant role in the ability to simultaneously recognize words and pseudowords. The results also contradict the assumption that DD is due to a lack of eye movement control. The present research does not support the assumption that DD is caused by a phonological disorder but shows that DD is due to a visual processing dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinhard Werth
- Institute for Social Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Munich, Haydnstrasse 5, D-80336 Munich, Germany
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13
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Imaging faster neural dynamics with fast fMRI: A need for updated models of the hemodynamic response. Prog Neurobiol 2021; 207:102174. [PMID: 34525404 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.102174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Fast fMRI enables the detection of neural dynamics over timescales of hundreds of milliseconds, suggesting it may provide a new avenue for studying subsecond neural processes in the human brain. The magnitudes of these fast fMRI dynamics are far greater than predicted by canonical models of the hemodynamic response. Several studies have established nonlinear properties of the hemodynamic response that have significant implications for fast fMRI. We first review nonlinear properties of the hemodynamic response function that may underlie fast fMRI signals. We then illustrate the breakdown of canonical hemodynamic response models in the context of fast neural dynamics. We will then argue that the canonical hemodynamic response function is not likely to reflect the BOLD response to neuronal activity driven by sparse or naturalistic stimuli or perhaps to spontaneous neuronal fluctuations in the resting state. These properties suggest that fast fMRI is capable of tracking surprisingly fast neuronal dynamics, and we discuss the neuroscientific questions that could be addressed using this approach.
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14
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Dewey RS, Hall DA, Plack CJ, Francis ST. Comparison of continuous sampling with active noise cancelation and sparse sampling for cortical and subcortical auditory functional MRI. Magn Reson Med 2021; 86:2577-2588. [PMID: 34196020 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28902] [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: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Detecting sound-related activity using functional MRI requires the auditory stimulus to be more salient than the intense background scanner acoustic noise. Various strategies can reduce the impact of scanner acoustic noise, including "sparse" temporal sampling with single/clustered acquisitions providing intervals without any background scanner acoustic noise, or active noise cancelation (ANC) during "continuous" temporal sampling, which generates an acoustic signal that adds destructively to the scanner acoustic noise, substantially reducing the acoustic energy at the participant's eardrum. Furthermore, multiband functional MRI allows multiple slices to be collected simultaneously, thereby reducing scanner acoustic noise in a given sampling period. METHODS Isotropic multiband functional MRI (1.5 mm) with sparse sampling (effective TR = 9000 ms, acquisition duration = 1962 ms) and continuous sampling (TR = 2000 ms) with ANC were compared in 15 normally hearing participants. A sustained broadband noise stimulus was presented to drive activation of both sustained and transient auditory responses within subcortical and cortical auditory regions. RESULTS Robust broadband noise-related activity was detected throughout the auditory pathways. Continuous sampling with ANC was found to give a statistically significant advantage over sparse sampling for the detection of the transient (onset) stimulus responses, particularly in the auditory cortex (P < .001) and inferior colliculus (P < .001), whereas gains provided by sparse over continuous ANC for detecting offset and sustained responses were marginal (p ~ 0.05 in superior olivary complex, inferior colliculus, medial geniculate body, and auditory cortex). CONCLUSIONS Sparse and continuous ANC multiband functional MRI protocols provide differing advantages for observing the transient (onset and offset) and sustained stimulus responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca S Dewey
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Hearing Sciences, Division of Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Deborah A Hall
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Hearing Sciences, Division of Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Heriot-Watt University Malaysia, Putrajaya, Malaysia
| | - Christopher J Plack
- Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom.,National Institute for Health Research Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Susan T Francis
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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15
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Mascheretti S, Peruzzo D, Andreola C, Villa M, Ciceri T, Trezzi V, Marino C, Arrigoni F. Selecting the Most Relevant Brain Regions to Classify Children with Developmental Dyslexia and Typical Readers by Using Complex Magnocellular Stimuli and Multiple Kernel Learning. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060722. [PMID: 34071649 PMCID: PMC8228080 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060722] [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: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence supports the presence of deficits in the visual magnocellular (M) system in developmental dyslexia (DD). The M system is related to the fronto-parietal attentional network. Previous neuroimaging studies have revealed reduced/absent activation within the visual M pathway in DD, but they have failed to characterize the extensive brain network activated by M stimuli. We performed a multivariate pattern analysis on a Region of Interest (ROI) level to differentiate between children with DD and age-matched typical readers (TRs) by combining full-field sinusoidal gratings, controlled for spatial and temporal frequencies and luminance contrast, and a coherent motion (CM) sensitivity task at 6%-CML6, 15%-CML15 and 40%-CML40. ROIs spanning the entire visual dorsal stream and ventral attention network (VAN) had higher discriminative weights and showed higher act1ivation in TRs than in children with DD. Of the two tasks, CM had the greatest weight when classifying TRs and children with DD in most of the ROIs spanning these streams. For the CML6, activation within the right superior parietal cortex positively correlated with reading skills. Our approach highlighted the dorsal stream and the VAN as highly discriminative areas between children with DD and TRs and allowed for a better characterization of the "dorsal stream vulnerability" underlying DD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Mascheretti
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (C.A.); (M.V.); (V.T.)
- Correspondence: (S.M.); (F.A.)
| | - Denis Peruzzo
- Neuroimaging Lab, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (D.P.); (T.C.)
| | - Chiara Andreola
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (C.A.); (M.V.); (V.T.)
- Laboratoire de Psychologie de Développement et de l’Éducation de l’Enfant (LaPsyDÉ), Université de Paris, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Martina Villa
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (C.A.); (M.V.); (V.T.)
| | - Tommaso Ciceri
- Neuroimaging Lab, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (D.P.); (T.C.)
| | - Vittoria Trezzi
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (C.A.); (M.V.); (V.T.)
| | - Cecilia Marino
- The Division of Child and Youth Psychiatry at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, Canada;
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Filippo Arrigoni
- Neuroimaging Lab, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (D.P.); (T.C.)
- Correspondence: (S.M.); (F.A.)
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16
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Mascheretti S, Riva V, Feng B, Trezzi V, Andreola C, Giorda R, Villa M, Dionne G, Gori S, Marino C, Facoetti A. The Mediation Role of Dynamic Multisensory Processing Using Molecular Genetic Data in Dyslexia. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10120993. [PMID: 33339203 PMCID: PMC7765588 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10120993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Although substantial heritability has been reported and candidate genes have been identified, we are far from understanding the etiopathogenetic pathways underlying developmental dyslexia (DD). Reading-related endophenotypes (EPs) have been established. Until now it was unknown whether they mediated the pathway from gene to reading (dis)ability. Thus, in a sample of 223 siblings from nuclear families with DD and 79 unrelated typical readers, we tested four EPs (i.e., rapid auditory processing, rapid automatized naming, multisensory nonspatial attention and visual motion processing) and 20 markers spanning five DD-candidate genes (i.e., DYX1C1, DCDC2, KIAA0319, ROBO1 and GRIN2B) using a multiple-predictor/multiple-mediator framework. Our results show that rapid auditory and visual motion processing are mediators in the pathway from ROBO1-rs9853895 to reading. Specifically, the T/T genotype group predicts impairments in rapid auditory and visual motion processing which, in turn, predict poorer reading skills. Our results suggest that ROBO1 is related to reading via multisensory temporal processing. These findings support the use of EPs as an effective approach to disentangling the complex pathways between candidate genes and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Mascheretti
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (S.M.); (V.R.); (V.T.); (C.A.)
| | - Valentina Riva
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (S.M.); (V.R.); (V.T.); (C.A.)
| | - Bei Feng
- École de Psychologie, Laval University, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; (B.F.); (G.D.)
| | - Vittoria Trezzi
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (S.M.); (V.R.); (V.T.); (C.A.)
| | - Chiara Andreola
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (S.M.); (V.R.); (V.T.); (C.A.)
- Laboratoire de Psychologie du Développement et de l’Éducation de l’Enfant (LaPsyDÉ), Universitè de Paris, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Roberto Giorda
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (R.G.); (M.V.)
| | - Marco Villa
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (R.G.); (M.V.)
| | - Ginette Dionne
- École de Psychologie, Laval University, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; (B.F.); (G.D.)
| | - Simone Gori
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, 24100 Bergamo, Italy;
| | - Cecilia Marino
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (S.M.); (V.R.); (V.T.); (C.A.)
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada
- The Division of Child and Youth Psychiatry, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, Canada
- Correspondence: (C.M.); (A.F.)
| | - Andrea Facoetti
- Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy
- Correspondence: (C.M.); (A.F.)
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17
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A critical review of the cognitive and perceptual factors influencing attentional scaling and visual processing. Psychon Bull Rev 2020; 27:405-422. [PMID: 31907853 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-019-01692-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
An important mechanism used to selectively process relevant information in the environment is spatial attention. One fundamental way in which spatial attention is deployed is attentional scaling - the process of focusing attentional resources either narrowly or broadly across the visual field. Although early empirical work suggested that narrowing attention improves all aspects of visual processing, recent studies have demonstrated that narrowing attention can also have no effect or even a detrimental impact when it comes to vision that is thought to be mediated via the magnocellular pathway of the visual system. Here, for the first time, we synthesize empirical evidence measuring the behavioral effects of attentional scaling on tasks gauging the contribution of the major neural pathways of the visual system, with the purpose of determining the potential factors driving these contradictory empirical findings. This analysis revealed that attentional scaling could be best understood by considering the unique methodologies used in the research literature to date. The implications of this analysis for theoretical frameworks of attentional scaling are discussed, and methodological improvements for future research are proposed.
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18
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Navarro KT, Sanchez MJ, Engel SA, Olman CA, Weldon KB. Depth-dependent functional MRI responses to chromatic and achromatic stimuli throughout V1 and V2. Neuroimage 2020; 226:117520. [PMID: 33137474 PMCID: PMC7958868 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the primate visual system, form (shape, location) and color information are processed in separate but interacting pathways. Recent access to high-resolution neuroimaging has facilitated the exploration of the structure of these pathways at the mesoscopic level in the human visual cortex. We used 7T fMRI to observe selective activation of the primary visual cortex to chromatic versus achromatic stimuli in five participants across two scanning sessions. Achromatic checkerboards with low spatial frequency and high temporal frequency targeted the color-insensitive magnocellular pathway. Chromatic checkerboards with higher spatial frequency and low temporal frequency targeted the color-selective parvocellular pathway. This work resulted in three main findings. First, responses driven by chromatic stimuli had a laminar profile biased towards superficial layers of V1, as compared to responses driven by achromatic stimuli. Second, we found stronger preference for chromatic stimuli in parafoveal V1 compared with peripheral V1. Finally, we found alternating, stimulus-selective bands stemming from the V1 border into V2 and V3. Similar alternating patterns have been previously found in both NHP and human extrastriate cortex. Together, our findings confirm the utility of fMRI for revealing details of mesoscopic neural architecture in human cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen T Navarro
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States.
| | - Marisa J Sanchez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, 2450 Riverside Ave f275, Minneapolis, MN 55454, United States
| | - Stephen A Engel
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Cheryl A Olman
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, 2021 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Kimberly B Weldon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, 2450 Riverside Ave f275, Minneapolis, MN 55454, United States; Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, 2021 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
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19
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Vision function of pseudophakic eyes with posterior capsular opacification under different speed and spatial frequency. Int Ophthalmol 2020; 40:3491-3500. [PMID: 33030670 DOI: 10.1007/s10792-020-01536-9] [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: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate the characteristics of dynamic visual acuity (DVA) and contrast sensitivity (CS) in pseudophakic patients with posterior capsular opacification (PCO). METHODS Fifty-four eyes (36 patients) with PCO planned for laser capsulotomy were recruited. They underwent examinations of static visual acuity (SVA), DVA, CS and optical quality analysis (OQAS) before and one week after the laser treatment. Improvements in each index after laser treatment were analyzed. The visual quality of patients with good initial vision was studied separately. RESULTS SVA, DVA and CS all significantly increased after capsulotomy (P < 0.05). Postoperative improvements in DVA were higher than in SVA, but they decreased when the speed increased. DVA at 15 dps gained the most improvement after capsulotomy. DVA at all analyzed speeds was significantly lower than SVA (P = 0.000). There was a significant speed-dependent decrease in DVA at lower speeds compared with higher speeds. The postoperative improvements in CS decreased when the spatial frequency was increased. The CS at the lower frequencies of 3 cpd and 6 cpd was the most improved after capsulotomy. CS was much lower at high frequencies (p < 0.05). There was a significant decrease in CS at higher spatial frequencies compared with lower frequencies. DVA improvements were correlated with CS improvements at medium spatial frequencies and with objective scattering index and Strehl ratio. The CS at all frequencies significantly improved for patients with good initial vision. CONCLUSION PCO could impair dynamic vision function, but CS was a more sensitive indication of visual complaints in patients with slight PCO.
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20
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Spatial frequency tuning of motor responses reveals differential contribution of dorsal and ventral systems to action comprehension. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:13151-13161. [PMID: 32457158 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1921512117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding object-directed actions performed by others is central to everyday life. This ability is thought to rely on the interaction between the dorsal action observation network (AON) and a ventral object recognition pathway. On this view, the AON would encode action kinematics, and the ventral pathway, the most likely intention afforded by the objects. However, experimental evidence supporting this model is still scarce. Here, we aimed to disentangle the contribution of dorsal vs. ventral pathways to action comprehension by exploiting their differential tuning to low-spatial frequencies (LSFs) and high-spatial frequencies (HSFs). We filtered naturalistic action images to contain only LSF or HSF and measured behavioral performance and corticospinal excitability (CSE) using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Actions were embedded in congruent or incongruent scenarios as defined by the compatibility between grips and intentions afforded by the contextual objects. Behaviorally, participants were better at discriminating congruent actions in intact than LSF images. This effect was reversed for incongruent actions, with better performance for LSF than intact and HSF. These modulations were mirrored at the neurophysiological level, with greater CSE facilitation for congruent than incongruent actions for HSF and the opposite pattern for LSF images. Finally, only for LSF did we observe CSE modulations according to grip kinematics. While results point to differential dorsal (LSF) and ventral (HSF) contributions to action comprehension for grip and context encoding, respectively, the negative congruency effect for LSF images suggests that object processing may influence action perception not only through ventral-to-dorsal connections, but also through a dorsal-to-dorsal route involved in predictive processing.
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21
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Qian Y, Zou J, Zhang Z, An J, Zuo Z, Zhuo Y, Wang DJJ, Zhang P. Robust functional mapping of layer-selective responses in human lateral geniculate nucleus with high-resolution 7T fMRI. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200245. [PMID: 32290803 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus is the major subcortical relay of retinal input to the visual cortex. It plays important roles in visual perception and cognition and is closely related with several eye diseases and brain disorders. Primate LGNs mainly consist of six layers of monocular neurons with distinct cell types and functions. The non-invasive measure of layer-selective activities of the human LGN would have broad scientific and clinical implications. Using high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 7 Tesla (T) and carefully designed visual stimuli, we achieved robust functional mapping of eye-specific and also magnocellular/parvocellular-specific laminar patterns of the human LGN. These laminar patterns were highly reproducible with different pulse sequences scanned on separate days, between different subjects, and were in remarkable consistency with the simulation from high-resolution histology of the human LGNs. These findings clearly demonstrate that 7T fMRI can robustly resolve layer-specific responses of the human LGN. This paves the way for future investigation of the critical roles of the LGN in human visual perception and cognition, as well as the neural mechanisms of many developmental and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazhu Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinyou Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Zihao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing An
- Digital Department, Siemens Shenzhen Magnetic Resonance Ltd, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhentao Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Zhuo
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Danny J J Wang
- Digital Department, Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
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22
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Gopal SKS, Kelkar J, Kelkar A, Pandit A. Simplified updates on the pathophysiology and recent developments in the treatment of amblyopia: A review. Indian J Ophthalmol 2020; 67:1392-1399. [PMID: 31436180 PMCID: PMC6727694 DOI: 10.4103/ijo.ijo_11_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Amblyopia is the most common cause of monocular visual impairment affecting 2-5% of the general population. Amblyopia is a developmental cortical disorder of the visual pathway essentially due to abnormal visual stimulus, reaching the binocular cortical cells, which may be multivariate. Ganglion cells are of two types: parvocellular (P cells) and magnocellular (M cells); they are the first step where the light energy is converted in to neural impulse. P cells are involved in fine visual acuity, fine stereopsis, and color vision and M cells are involved in gross stereopsis and movement recognition. Strabismus, refractive error, cataract, and ptosis, occurring during critical period are highly amblyogenic. The critical period extends from birth to 7--8 years. The earlier the clinically significant refractive error and strabismus are detected and treated, the greater the likelihood of preventing amblyopia. Treatment for amblyopia in children includes: optical correction of significant refractive errors, patching, pharmacological treatment, and alternative therapies which include: vision therapy, binocular therapy, and liquid crystal display eyeglasses are newer treatment modalities for amblyopia. Age of starting the treatment is not predictive of outcome, instituting treatment on detection and early detection plays a role in achieving better outcomes. This review aims to give a simplified update on amblyopia, which will be of use to a clinician, in understanding the pathophysiology of the complex condition. We also share the cortical aspects of amblyopia and give recent developments in the treatment of amblyopia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santhan K S Gopal
- Kamala Nethralaya Eye Clinic and Surgical Centre, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Jai Kelkar
- National Institute of Ophthalmology, Maharashtra, India
| | - Aditya Kelkar
- National Institute of Ophthalmology, Maharashtra, India
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23
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Cushing CA, Im HY, Adams RB, Ward N, Kveraga K. Magnocellular and parvocellular pathway contributions to facial threat cue processing. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:151-162. [PMID: 30721981 PMCID: PMC6382926 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Human faces evolved to signal emotions, with their meaning contextualized by eye gaze. For instance, a fearful expression paired with averted gaze clearly signals both presence of threat and its probable location. Conversely, direct gaze paired with facial fear leaves the source of the fear-evoking threat ambiguous. Given that visual perception occurs in parallel streams with different processing emphases, our goal was to test a recently developed hypothesis that clear and ambiguous threat cues would differentially engage the magnocellular (M) and parvocellular (P) pathways, respectively. We employed two-tone face images to characterize the neurodynamics evoked by stimuli that were biased toward M or P pathways. Human observers (N = 57) had to identify the expression of fearful or neutral faces with direct or averted gaze while their magnetoencephalogram was recorded. Phase locking between the amygdaloid complex, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and fusiform gyrus increased early (0–300 ms) for M-biased clear threat cues (averted-gaze fear) in the β-band (13–30 Hz) while P-biased ambiguous threat cues (direct-gaze fear) evoked increased θ (4–8 Hz) phase locking in connections with OFC of the right hemisphere. We show that M and P pathways are relatively more sensitive toward clear and ambiguous threat processing, respectively, and characterize the neurodynamics underlying emotional face processing in the M and P pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody A Cushing
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Hee Yeon Im
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Reginald B Adams
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Noreen Ward
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Kestutis Kveraga
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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24
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Phase-synchrony evaluation of EEG signals for Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis based on bivariate empirical mode decomposition during a visual task. Comput Biol Med 2019; 117:103596. [PMID: 32072973 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2019.103596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Revised: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Despite the widespread prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the study of brain interactions is still poorly understood. Moreover, there has always been a great need to automate the MS diagnosis procedure to eliminate the evaluation errors thereby improving its consistency and reliability. To address these issues, in this work, we proposed a robust pattern recognition algorithm as a computer-aided diagnosis system. This method is based on calculating the pairwise phase-synchrony of EEG recordings during a visual task. Initially, the bivariate empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) was applied to extract the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). The phases of these IMFs were then obtained using the Hilbert transform to be utilized in the mean phase coherence (MPC), a measure for phase-synchrony calculation. After the construction of the feature space using MPC values, the ReliefF algorithm was applied for dimension reduction. Finally, the best distinguishing features were input to a k-nearest neighbor (KNN) classifier. The results revealed a higher level of network synchronization in the posterior regions of the brain and desynchronization in the anterior regions among the MS group as compared with the normal subjects. In the validation phase, the leave-one-subject-out cross-validation (LOOCV) method was used to assess the validity of the proposed algorithm. We achieved an accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 93.09%, 91.07%, and 95.24% for red-green, 90.44%, 88.39%, and 92.62% for luminance, and 87.44%, 87.05%, and 87.86% for blue-yellow tasks, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated the reliability of the presented method to be generalized in the field of automated MS diagnosis systems.
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25
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26
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Distinguishing Hemodynamics from Function in the Human LGN Using a Temporal Response Model. Vision (Basel) 2019; 3:vision3020027. [PMID: 31735828 PMCID: PMC6802784 DOI: 10.3390/vision3020027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We developed a temporal population receptive field model to differentiate the neural and hemodynamic response functions (HRF) in the human lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). The HRF in the human LGN is dominated by the richly vascularized hilum, a structure that serves as a point of entry for blood vessels entering the LGN and supplying the substrates of central vision. The location of the hilum along the ventral surface of the LGN and the resulting gradient in the amplitude of the HRF across the extent of the LGN have made it difficult to segment the human LGN into its more interesting magnocellular and parvocellular regions that represent two distinct visual processing streams. Here, we show that an intrinsic clustering of the LGN responses to a variety of visual inputs reveals the hilum, and further, that this clustering is dominated by the amplitude of the HRF. We introduced a temporal population receptive field model that includes separate sustained and transient temporal impulse response functions that vary on a much short timescale than the HRF. When we account for the HRF amplitude, we demonstrate that this temporal response model is able to functionally segregate the residual responses according to their temporal properties.
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27
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Kelly JG, García-Marín V, Rudy B, Hawken MJ. Densities and Laminar Distributions of Kv3.1b-, PV-, GABA-, and SMI-32-Immunoreactive Neurons in Macaque Area V1. Cereb Cortex 2019; 29:1921-1937. [PMID: 29668858 PMCID: PMC6458914 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Revised: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The Kv3.1b potassium channel subunit is associated with narrow spike widths and fast-spiking properties. In macaque primary visual cortex (V1), subsets of neurons have previously been found to be Kv3.1b-immunoreactive (ir) but not parvalbumin (PV)-ir or not GABA-ir, suggesting that they may be both fast-spiking and excitatory. This population includes Meynert cells, the large layer 5/6 pyramidal neurons that are also labeled by the neurofilament antibody SMI-32. In the present study, triple immunofluorescence labeling and confocal microscopy were used to measure the distribution of Kv3.1b-ir, non-PV-ir, non-GABA-ir neurons across cortical depth in V1, and to determine whether, like the Meynert cells, other Kv3.1b-ir excitatory neurons were also SMI-32-ir pyramidal neurons. We found that Kv3.1b-ir, non-PV-ir, non-GABA-ir neurons were most prevalent in the M pathway-associated layers 4 Cα and 4B. GABAergic neurons accounted for a smaller fraction (11%) of the total neuronal population across layers 1-6 than has previously been reported. Of Kv3.1b-ir neurons, PV expression reliably indicated GABA expression. Kv3.1b-ir, non-PV-ir neurons varied in SMI-32 coimmunoreactivity. The results suggest the existence of a heterogeneous population of excitatory neurons in macaque V1 with the potential for sustained high firing rates, and these neurons were particularly abundant in layers 4B and 4 Cα.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna G Kelly
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Bernardo Rudy
- New York University Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, Smilow Research Building Sixth Floor, 522 First Ave., New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael J Hawken
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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28
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Goodhew SC, Edwards M. Translating experimental paradigms into individual-differences research: Contributions, challenges, and practical recommendations. Conscious Cogn 2019; 69:14-25. [PMID: 30685513 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Psychological science has long been cleaved by a fundamental divide between researchers who experimentally manipulate variables and those who measure existing individual-differences. Increasingly, however, researchers are appreciating the value of integrating these approaches. Here, we used visual attention research as a case-in-point for how this gap can be bridged. Traditionally, researchers have predominately adopted experimental approaches to investigating visual attention. Increasingly, however, researchers are integrating individual-differences approaches with experimental approaches to answer novel and innovative research questions. However, individual differences research challenges some of the core assumptions and practices of experimental research. The purpose of this review, therefore, is to provide a timely summary and discussion of the key issues. While these are contextualised in the field of visual attention, the discussion of these issues has implications for psychological research more broadly. In doing so, we provide eight practical recommendations for proposed solutions and novel avenues for research moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie C Goodhew
- Research School of Psychology, The Australian National University, Australia.
| | - Mark Edwards
- Research School of Psychology, The Australian National University, Australia
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29
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van Es DM, Theeuwes J, Knapen T. Spatial sampling in human visual cortex is modulated by both spatial and feature-based attention. eLife 2018; 7:e36928. [PMID: 30526848 PMCID: PMC6286128 DOI: 10.7554/elife.36928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial attention changes the sampling of visual space. Behavioral studies suggest that feature-based attention modulates this resampling to optimize the attended feature's sampling. We investigate this hypothesis by estimating spatial sampling in visual cortex while independently varying both feature-based and spatial attention. Our results show that spatial and feature-based attention interacted: resampling of visual space depended on both the attended location and feature (color vs. temporal frequency). This interaction occurred similarly throughout visual cortex, regardless of an area's overall feature preference. However, the interaction did depend on spatial sampling properties of voxels that prefer the attended feature. These findings are parsimoniously explained by variations in the precision of an attentional gain field. Our results demonstrate that the deployment of spatial attention is tailored to the spatial sampling properties of units that are sensitive to the attended feature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Marten van Es
- Behavioural and Movement SciencesVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Jan Theeuwes
- Behavioural and Movement SciencesVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Tomas Knapen
- Behavioural and Movement SciencesVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Spinoza Centre for NeuroimagingRoyal Academy of SciencesAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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30
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Lateral geniculate nucleus volumetry at 3T and 7T: Four different optimized magnetic-resonance-imaging sequences evaluated against a 7T reference acquisition. Neuroimage 2018; 186:399-409. [PMID: 30342237 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.09.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) is an essential nucleus of the visual pathway, occupying a small volume (60-160 mm3) among the other thalamic nuclei. The reported LGN volumes vary greatly across studies due to technical limitations and due to methodological differences of volume assessment. Yet, structural and anatomical alterations in ophthalmologic and neurodegenerative pathologies can only be revealed by a precise and reliable LGN representation. To improve LGN volume assessment, we first implemented a reference acquisition for LGN volume determination with optimized Contrast to Noise Ratio (CNR) and high spatial resolution. Next, we compared CNR efficiency and rating reliability of 3D Magnetization Prepared Rapid Gradient Echo (MPRAGE) images using white matter nulled (WMn) and grey matter nulled (GMn) sequences and its subtraction (WMn-GMn) relative to the clinical standard Proton Density Turbo Spin Echo (PD 2D TSE) and the reference acquisition. We hypothesized that 3D MPRAGE should provide a higher CNR and volume determination accuracy than the currently used 2D sequences. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 31 healthy subjects, we obtained at 3 and 7 T the following MR sequences: PD-TSE, MPRAGE with white/grey matter signal nulled (WMn/GMn), and a motion-corrected segmented MPRAGE sequence with a resolution of 0.4 × 0.4 × 0.4 mm3 (reference acquisition). To increase CNR, GMn were subtracted from WMn (WMn-GMn). Four investigators manually segmented the LGN independently. RESULTS The reference acquisition provided a very sharp depiction of the LGN and an estimated mean LGN volume of 124 ± 3.3 mm3. WMn-GMn had the highest CNR and gave the most reproducible LGN volume estimations between field strengths. Even with the highest CNR efficiency, PD-TSE gave inconsistent LGN volumes with the weakest reference acquisition correlation. The LGN WM rim induced a significant difference between LGN volumes estimated from WMn and GMn. WMn and GMn LGN volume estimations explained most of the reference acquisition volumes' variance. For all sequences, the volume rating reliability were good. On the other hand, the best CNR rating reliability, LGN volume and CNR correlations with the reference acquisition were obtained with GMn at 7 T. CONCLUSION WMn and GMn MPRAGE allow reliable LGN volume determination at both field strengths. The precise location and identification of the LGN (volume) can help to optimize neuroanatomical and neurophysiological studies, which involve the LGN structure. Our optimized imaging protocol may be used for clinical applications aiming at small nuclei volumetric and CNR quantification.
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31
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Keuken MC, Isaacs BR, Trampel R, van der Zwaag W, Forstmann BU. Visualizing the Human Subcortex Using Ultra-high Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Brain Topogr 2018; 31:513-545. [PMID: 29497874 PMCID: PMC5999196 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-018-0638-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 01/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
With the recent increased availability of ultra-high field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), substantial progress has been made in visualizing the human brain, which can now be done in extraordinary detail. This review provides an extensive overview of the use of UHF MRI in visualizing the human subcortex for both healthy and patient populations. The high inter-subject variability in size and location of subcortical structures limits the usability of atlases in the midbrain. Fortunately, the combined results of this review indicate that a large number of subcortical areas can be visualized in individual space using UHF MRI. Current limitations and potential solutions of UHF MRI for visualizing the subcortex are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Keuken
- Integrative Model-Based Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 15926, 1001NK, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - B R Isaacs
- Integrative Model-Based Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 15926, 1001NK, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - R Trampel
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - B U Forstmann
- Integrative Model-Based Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 15926, 1001NK, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, An Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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32
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Im HY, Adams RB, Cushing CA, Boshyan J, Ward N, Kveraga K. Sex-related differences in behavioral and amygdalar responses to compound facial threat cues. Hum Brain Mapp 2018. [PMID: 29520882 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
During face perception, we integrate facial expression and eye gaze to take advantage of their shared signals. For example, fear with averted gaze provides a congruent avoidance cue, signaling both threat presence and its location, whereas fear with direct gaze sends an incongruent cue, leaving threat location ambiguous. It has been proposed that the processing of different combinations of threat cues is mediated by dual processing routes: reflexive processing via magnocellular (M) pathway and reflective processing via parvocellular (P) pathway. Because growing evidence has identified a variety of sex differences in emotional perception, here we also investigated how M and P processing of fear and eye gaze might be modulated by observer's sex, focusing on the amygdala, a structure important to threat perception and affective appraisal. We adjusted luminance and color of face stimuli to selectively engage M or P processing and asked observers to identify emotion of the face. Female observers showed more accurate behavioral responses to faces with averted gaze and greater left amygdala reactivity both to fearful and neutral faces. Conversely, males showed greater right amygdala activation only for M-biased averted-gaze fear faces. In addition to functional reactivity differences, females had proportionately greater bilateral amygdala volumes, which positively correlated with behavioral accuracy for M-biased fear. Conversely, in males only the right amygdala volume was positively correlated with accuracy for M-biased fear faces. Our findings suggest that M and P processing of facial threat cues is modulated by functional and structural differences in the amygdalae associated with observer's sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee Yeon Im
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Reginald B Adams
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania
| | - Cody A Cushing
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Jasmine Boshyan
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Noreen Ward
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Kestutis Kveraga
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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33
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Im HY, Adams RB, Boshyan J, Ward N, Cushing CA, Kveraga K. Observer's anxiety facilitates magnocellular processing of clear facial threat cues, but impairs parvocellular processing of ambiguous facial threat cues. Sci Rep 2017; 7:15151. [PMID: 29123215 PMCID: PMC5680327 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15495-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial expression and eye gaze provide a shared signal about threats. While a fear expression with averted gaze clearly points to the source of threat, direct-gaze fear renders the source of threat ambiguous. Separable routes have been proposed to mediate these processes, with preferential attunement of the magnocellular (M) pathway to clear threat, and of the parvocellular (P) pathway to threat ambiguity. Here we investigated how observers’ trait anxiety modulates M- and P-pathway processing of clear and ambiguous threat cues. We scanned subjects (N = 108) widely ranging in trait anxiety while they viewed fearful or neutral faces with averted or directed gaze, with the luminance and color of face stimuli calibrated to selectively engage M- or P-pathways. Higher anxiety facilitated processing of clear threat projected to M-pathway, but impaired perception of ambiguous threat projected to P-pathway. Increased right amygdala reactivity was associated with higher anxiety for M-biased averted-gaze fear, while increased left amygdala reactivity was associated with higher anxiety for P-biased, direct-gaze fear. This lateralization was more pronounced with higher anxiety. Our findings suggest that trait anxiety differentially affects perception of clear (averted-gaze fear) and ambiguous (direct-gaze fear) facial threat cues via selective engagement of M and P pathways and lateralized amygdala reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee Yeon Im
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Reginald B Adams
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Jasmine Boshyan
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Noreen Ward
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Cody A Cushing
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Kestutis Kveraga
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA. .,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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34
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Im HY, Albohn DN, Steiner TG, Cushing CA, Adams RB, Kveraga K. Differential hemispheric and visual stream contributions to ensemble coding of crowd emotion. Nat Hum Behav 2017; 1:828-842. [PMID: 29226255 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-017-0225-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In crowds, where scrutinizing individual facial expressions is inefficient, humans can make snap judgments about the prevailing mood by reading "crowd emotion". We investigated how the brain accomplishes this feat in a set of behavioral and fMRI studies. Participants were asked to either avoid or approach one of two crowds of faces presented in the left and right visual hemifields. Perception of crowd emotion was improved when crowd stimuli contained goal-congruent cues and was highly lateralized to the right hemisphere. The dorsal visual stream was preferentially activated in crowd emotion processing, with activity in the intraparietal sulcus and superior frontal gyrus predicting perceptual accuracy for crowd emotion perception, whereas activity in the fusiform cortex in the ventral stream predicted better perception of individual facial expressions. Our findings thus reveal significant behavioral differences and differential involvement of the hemispheres and the major visual streams in reading crowd versus individual face expressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee Yeon Im
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Daniel N Albohn
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Troy G Steiner
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Cody A Cushing
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Reginald B Adams
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Kestutis Kveraga
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA. .,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.
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35
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Towards building a more complex view of the lateral geniculate nucleus: Recent advances in understanding its role. Prog Neurobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2017.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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36
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Columnar Segregation of Magnocellular and Parvocellular Streams in Human Extrastriate Cortex. J Neurosci 2017; 37:8014-8032. [PMID: 28724749 PMCID: PMC5559769 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0690-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Magnocellular versus parvocellular (M-P) streams are fundamental to the organization of macaque visual cortex. Segregated, paired M-P streams extend from retina through LGN into V1. The M stream extends further into area V5/MT, and parts of V2. However, elsewhere in visual cortex, it remains unclear whether M-P-derived information (1) becomes intermixed or (2) remains segregated in M-P-dominated columns and neurons. Here we tested whether M-P streams exist in extrastriate cortical columns, in 8 human subjects (4 female). We acquired high-resolution fMRI at high field (7T), testing for M- and P-influenced columns within each of four cortical areas (V2, V3, V3A, and V4), based on known functional distinctions in M-P streams in macaque: (1) color versus luminance, (2) binocular disparity, (3) luminance contrast sensitivity, (4) peak spatial frequency, and (5) color/spatial interactions. Additional measurements of resting state activity (eyes closed) tested for segregated functional connections between these columns. We found M- and P-like functions and connections within and between segregated cortical columns in V2, V3, and (in most experiments) area V4. Area V3A was dominated by the M stream, without significant influence from the P stream. These results suggest that M-P streams exist, and extend through, specific columns in early/middle stages of human extrastriate cortex.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The magnocellular and parvocellular (M-P) streams are fundamental components of primate visual cortical organization. These streams segregate both anatomical and functional properties in parallel, from retina through primary visual cortex. However, in most higher-order cortical sites, it is unknown whether such M-P streams exist and/or what form those streams would take. Moreover, it is unknown whether M-P streams exist in human cortex. Here, fMRI evidence measured at high field (7T) and high resolution revealed segregated M-P streams in four areas of human extrastriate cortex. These results suggest that M-P information is processed in segregated parallel channels throughout much of human visual cortex; the M-P streams are more than a convenient sorting property in earlier stages of the visual system.
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37
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Lu KH, Jeong JY, Wen H, Liu Z. Spontaneous activity in the visual cortex is organized by visual streams. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:4613-4630. [PMID: 28608643 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2017] [Revised: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Large-scale functional networks have been extensively studied using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, the pattern, organization, and function of fine-scale network activity remain largely unknown. Here, we characterized the spontaneously emerging visual cortical activity by applying independent component (IC) analysis to resting state fMRI signals exclusively within the visual cortex. In this subsystem scale, we observed about 50 spatially ICs that were reproducible within and across subjects, and analyzed their spatial patterns and temporal relationships to reveal the intrinsic parcellation and organization of the visual cortex. The resulting visual cortical parcels were aligned with the steepest gradient of cortical myelination, and were organized into functional modules segregated along the dorsal/ventral pathways and foveal/peripheral early visual areas. Cortical distance could partly explain intra-hemispherical functional connectivity, but not interhemispherical connectivity; after discounting the effect of anatomical affinity, the fine-scale functional connectivity still preserved a similar visual-stream-specific modular organization. Moreover, cortical retinotopy, folding, and cytoarchitecture impose limited constraints to the organization of resting state activity. Given these findings, we conclude that spontaneous activity patterns in the visual cortex are primarily organized by visual streams, likely reflecting feedback network interactions. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4613-4630, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun-Han Lu
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.,Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Jun Young Jeong
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Haiguang Wen
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.,Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Zhongming Liu
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.,Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.,Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
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38
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De Martino F, Yacoub E, Kemper V, Moerel M, Uludağ K, De Weerd P, Ugurbil K, Goebel R, Formisano E. The impact of ultra-high field MRI on cognitive and computational neuroimaging. Neuroimage 2017; 168:366-382. [PMID: 28396293 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.03.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Revised: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to measure functional brain responses non-invasively with ultra high field MRI (7 T and above) represents a unique opportunity in advancing our understanding of the human brain. Compared to lower fields (3 T and below), ultra high field MRI has an increased sensitivity, which can be used to acquire functional images with greater spatial resolution, and greater specificity of the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal to the underlying neuronal responses. Together, increased resolution and specificity enable investigating brain functions at a submillimeter scale, which so far could only be done with invasive techniques. At this mesoscopic spatial scale, perception, cognition and behavior can be probed at the level of fundamental units of neural computations, such as cortical columns, cortical layers, and subcortical nuclei. This represents a unique and distinctive advantage that differentiates ultra high from lower field imaging and that can foster a tighter link between fMRI and computational modeling of neural networks. So far, functional brain mapping at submillimeter scale has focused on the processing of sensory information and on well-known systems for which extensive information is available from invasive recordings in animals. It remains an open challenge to extend this methodology to uniquely human functions and, more generally, to systems for which animal models may be problematic. To succeed, the possibility to acquire high-resolution functional data with large spatial coverage, the availability of computational models of neural processing as well as accurate biophysical modeling of neurovascular coupling at mesoscopic scale all appear necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico De Martino
- Department of Cognitive Neurosciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Oxfordlaan 55, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands; Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, 2021 sixth street SE, 55455 Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | - Essa Yacoub
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, 2021 sixth street SE, 55455 Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Valentin Kemper
- Department of Cognitive Neurosciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Oxfordlaan 55, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Michelle Moerel
- Department of Cognitive Neurosciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Oxfordlaan 55, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands; Maastricht Center for System Biology, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 60, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Kâmil Uludağ
- Department of Cognitive Neurosciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Oxfordlaan 55, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Peter De Weerd
- Department of Cognitive Neurosciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Oxfordlaan 55, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Kamil Ugurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, 2021 sixth street SE, 55455 Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Rainer Goebel
- Department of Cognitive Neurosciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Oxfordlaan 55, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Elia Formisano
- Department of Cognitive Neurosciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Oxfordlaan 55, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands; Maastricht Center for System Biology, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 60, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Testing the generality of the zoom-lens model: Evidence for visual-pathway specific effects of attended-region size on perception. Atten Percept Psychophys 2017; 79:1147-1164. [DOI: 10.3758/s13414-017-1306-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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40
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Gesnik M, Blaize K, Deffieux T, Gennisson JL, Sahel JA, Fink M, Picaud S, Tanter M. 3D functional ultrasound imaging of the cerebral visual system in rodents. Neuroimage 2017; 149:267-274. [PMID: 28167348 PMCID: PMC5387157 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.01.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Revised: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
3D functional imaging of the whole brain activity during visual task is a challenging task in rodents due to the complex tri-dimensional shape of involved brain regions and the fine spatial and temporal resolutions required to reveal the visual tract. By coupling functional ultrasound (fUS) imaging with a translational motorized stage and an episodic visual stimulation device, we managed to accurately map and to recover the activity of the visual cortices, the Superior Colliculus (SC) and the Lateral Geniculate Nuclei (LGN) in 3D. Cerebral Blood Volume (CBV) responses during visual stimuli were found to be highly correlated with the visual stimulus time profile in visual cortices (r=0.6), SC (r=0.7) and LGN (r=0.7). These responses were found dependent on flickering frequency and contrast, and optimal stimulus parameters for largest CBV increases were obtained. In particular, increasing the flickering frequency higher than 7 Hz revealed a decrease of visual cortices response while the SC response was preserved. Finally, cross-correlation between CBV signals exhibited significant delays (d=0.35 s +/−0.1 s) between blood volume response in SC and visual cortices in response to our visual stimulus. These results emphasize the interest of fUS imaging as a whole brain neuroimaging modality for brain vision studies in rodent models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Gesnik
- Institut Langevin, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 7587, INSERM U979, 75012 Paris, France.
| | - Kevin Blaize
- Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Universités UPMC, University of Paris 06, INSERM UMR_S 968, CNRS UMR 7210, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Thomas Deffieux
- Institut Langevin, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 7587, INSERM U979, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Luc Gennisson
- Institut Langevin, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 7587, INSERM U979, 75012 Paris, France
| | - José-Alain Sahel
- Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Universités UPMC, University of Paris 06, INSERM UMR_S 968, CNRS UMR 7210, 75012 Paris, France; Fondation Ophtalmologique Adolphe de Rothschild, 75019 Paris, France; CHNO des Quinze-Vingts, DHU Sight Restore, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, 75012 Paris, France; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, 15213 PA, USA; Academie des Sciences, Paris
| | - Mathias Fink
- Institut Langevin, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 7587, INSERM U979, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Serge Picaud
- Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Universités UPMC, University of Paris 06, INSERM UMR_S 968, CNRS UMR 7210, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Mickaël Tanter
- Institut Langevin, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 7587, INSERM U979, 75012 Paris, France
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41
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Skottun BC. A few words on differentiating magno- and parvocellular contributions to vision on the basis of temporal frequency. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 71:756-760. [PMID: 27984055 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Revised: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A number of authors have proposed that changes in temporal frequency within the range of 0-30Hz may be used to differentiate contributions from the magno- and parvocellular systems. The present analyses estimate the percentage of active magnocellular cells as a function of frequency based on published cut-off values for magno- and parvocellular cells. These analyses indicate that varying the temporal frequency over the range of 0-30Hz has little effect upon the percentage of active magnocellular cells. The analyses were also carried out for a series of hypothetical cut-off frequencies and standard deviations of these frequencies for magnocellular cells. The results of these simulations indicate that even large alterations in these values do not alter the above conclusion to a noteworthy extent.
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Yu Q, Zhang P, Qiu J, Fang F. Perceptual Learning of Contrast Detection in the Human Lateral Geniculate Nucleus. Curr Biol 2016; 26:3176-3182. [PMID: 27839973 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2016] [Revised: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The brain is continuously modified by perceptual experience throughout life. Perceptual learning, which refers to the long-term performance improvement resulting from practice, has been widely used as a paradigm to study experience-dependent brain plasticity in adults [1, 2]. In the visual system, adult plasticity is largely believed to be restricted to the cortex, with subcortical structures losing their capacity for change after a critical period of development [3, 4]. Although various cortical mechanisms have been shown to mediate visual perceptual learning [5-12], there has been no reported investigation of perceptual learning in subcortical nuclei. Here, human subjects were trained on a contrast detection task for 30 days, leading to a significant contrast sensitivity improvement that was specific to the trained eye and the trained visual hemifield. Training also resulted in an eye- and hemifield-specific fMRI signal increase to low-contrast patterns in the magnocellular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), even when subjects did not pay attention to the patterns. Such an increase was absent in the parvocellular layers of the LGN and visual cortical areas. Furthermore, the behavioral benefit significantly correlated with the neural enhancement. These findings suggest that LGN signals can be amplified by training to detect faint patterns. Neural plasticity induced by perceptual learning in human adults might not be confined to the cortical level but might occur as early as at the thalamic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinlin Yu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jiang Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education) and Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Fang Fang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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Bellot E, Coizet V, Warnking J, Knoblauch K, Moro E, Dojat M. Effects of aging on low luminance contrast processing in humans. Neuroimage 2016; 139:415-426. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.06.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 06/02/2016] [Accepted: 06/26/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
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van der Zwaag W, Schäfer A, Marques JP, Turner R, Trampel R. Recent applications of UHF-MRI in the study of human brain function and structure: a review. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2016; 29:1274-1288. [PMID: 25762497 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2014] [Revised: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 01/22/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The increased availability of ultra-high-field (UHF) MRI has led to its application in a wide range of neuroimaging studies, which are showing promise in transforming fundamental approaches to human neuroscience. This review presents recent work on structural and functional brain imaging, at 7 T and higher field strengths. After a short outline of the effects of high field strength on MR images, the rapidly expanding literature on UHF applications of blood-oxygenation-level-dependent-based functional MRI is reviewed. Structural imaging is then discussed, divided into sections on imaging weighted by relaxation time, including quantitative relaxation time mapping, phase imaging and quantitative susceptibility mapping, angiography, diffusion-weighted imaging, and finally magnetization-transfer imaging. The final section discusses studies using the high spatial resolution available at UHF to identify explicit links between structure and function. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wietske van der Zwaag
- Centre d'Imagerie Biomédicale, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Schäfer
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - José P Marques
- Centre d'Imagerie Biomédicale, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Robert Turner
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Spinoza Centre, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- SPMMRC, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - Robert Trampel
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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Chang DHF, Hess RF, Mullen KT. Color responses and their adaptation in human superior colliculus and lateral geniculate nucleus. Neuroimage 2016; 138:211-220. [PMID: 27150230 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.04.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We use an fMRI adaptation paradigm to explore the selectivity of human responses in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and superior colliculus (SC) to red-green color and achromatic contrast. We measured responses to red-green (RG) and achromatic (ACH) high contrast sinewave counter-phasing rings with and without adaptation, within a block design. The signal for the RG test stimulus was reduced following both RG and ACH adaptation, whereas the signal for the ACH test was unaffected by either adaptor. These results provide compelling evidence that the human LGN and SC have significant capacity for color adaptation. Since in the LGN red-green responses are mediated by P cells, these findings are in contrast to earlier neurophysiological data from non-human primates that have shown weak or no contrast adaptation in the P pathway. Cross-adaptation of the red-green color response by achromatic contrast suggests unselective response adaptation and points to a dual role for P cells in responding to both color and achromatic contrast. We further show that subcortical adaptation is not restricted to the geniculostriate system, but is also present in the superior colliculus (SC), an oculomotor region that until recently, has been thought to be color-blind. Our data show that the human SC not only responds to red-green color contrast, but like the LGN, shows reliable but unselective adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorita H F Chang
- McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Canada
| | - Robert F Hess
- McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Canada
| | - Kathy T Mullen
- McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Canada.
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Selective spatial enhancement: Attentional spotlight size impacts spatial but not temporal perception. Psychon Bull Rev 2016; 23:1144-9. [DOI: 10.3758/s13423-015-0904-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Kristensen S, Garcea FE, Mahon BZ, Almeida J. Temporal Frequency Tuning Reveals Interactions between the Dorsal and Ventral Visual Streams. J Cogn Neurosci 2016; 28:1295-302. [PMID: 27082048 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Visual processing of complex objects is supported by the ventral visual pathway in the service of object identification and by the dorsal visual pathway in the service of object-directed reaching and grasping. Here, we address how these two streams interact during tool processing, by exploiting the known asymmetry in projections of subcortical magnocellular and parvocellular inputs to the dorsal and ventral streams. The ventral visual pathway receives both parvocellular and magnocellular input, whereas the dorsal visual pathway receives largely magnocellular input. We used fMRI to measure tool preferences in parietal cortex when the images were presented at either high or low temporal frequencies, exploiting the fact that parvocellular channels project principally to the ventral but not dorsal visual pathway. We reason that regions of parietal cortex that exhibit tool preferences for stimuli presented at frequencies characteristic of the parvocellular pathway receive their inputs from the ventral stream. We found that the left inferior parietal lobule, in the vicinity of the supramarginal gyrus, exhibited tool preferences for images presented at low temporal frequencies, whereas superior and posterior parietal regions exhibited tool preferences for images present at high temporal frequencies. These data indicate that object identity, processed within the ventral stream, is communicated to the left inferior parietal lobule and may there combine with inputs from the dorsal visual pathway to allow for functionally appropriate object manipulation.
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Thompkins AM, Deshpande G, Waggoner P, Katz JS. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Domestic Dog: Research, Methodology, and Conceptual Issues. COMPARATIVE COGNITION & BEHAVIOR REVIEWS 2016; 11:63-82. [PMID: 29456781 DOI: 10.3819/ccbr.2016.110004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging of the domestic dog is a rapidly expanding research topic in terms of the cognitive domains being investigated. Because dogs have shared both a physical and social world with humans for thousands of years, they provide a unique and socially relevant means of investigating a variety of shared human and canine psychological phenomena. Additionally, their trainability allows for neuroimaging to be carried out noninvasively in an awake and unrestrained state. In this review, a brief overview of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is followed by an analysis of recent research with dogs using fMRI. Methodological and conceptual concerns found across multiple studies are raised, and solutions to these issues are suggested. With the research capabilities brought by canine functional imaging, findings may improve our understanding of canine cognitive processes, identify neural correlates of behavioral traits, and provide early-life selection measures for dogs in working roles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gopikrishna Deshpande
- Dept. of Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA. AU MRI Research Center, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA. Alabama Advanced Imaging Consortium, Auburn University and University of Alabama Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Paul Waggoner
- Canine Performance Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Katz
- Dept. of Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA. AU MRI Research Center, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA. Alabama Advanced Imaging Consortium, Auburn University and University of Alabama Birmingham, AL, USA
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Moerel M, De Martino F, Uğurbil K, Yacoub E, Formisano E. Processing of frequency and location in human subcortical auditory structures. Sci Rep 2015; 5:17048. [PMID: 26597173 PMCID: PMC4657019 DOI: 10.1038/srep17048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
To date it remains largely unknown how fundamental aspects of natural sounds, such as their spectral content and location in space, are processed in human subcortical structures. Here we exploited the high sensitivity and specificity of high field fMRI (7 Tesla) to examine the human inferior colliculus (IC) and medial geniculate body (MGB). Subcortical responses to natural sounds were well explained by an encoding model of sound processing that represented frequency and location jointly. Frequency tuning was organized in one tonotopic gradient in the IC, whereas two tonotopic maps characterized the MGB reflecting two MGB subdivisions. In contrast, no topographic pattern of preferred location was detected, beyond an overall preference for peripheral (as opposed to central) and contralateral locations. Our findings suggest the functional organization of frequency and location processing in human subcortical auditory structures, and pave the way for studying the subcortical to cortical interaction required to create coherent auditory percepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Moerel
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Federico De Martino
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (MBIC), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Kâmil Uğurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Essa Yacoub
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Elia Formisano
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (MBIC), Maastricht, the Netherlands
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50
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Zhang P, Wen W, Sun X, He S. Selective reduction of fMRI responses to transient achromatic stimuli in the magnocellular layers of the LGN and the superficial layer of the SC of early glaucoma patients. Hum Brain Mapp 2015; 37:558-69. [PMID: 26526339 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 10/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Glaucoma is now viewed not just a disease of the eye but also a disease of the brain. The prognosis of glaucoma critically depends on how early the disease can be detected. However, early glaucomatous loss of the laminar functions in the human lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and superior colliculus (SC) remains difficult to detect and poorly understood. Using functional MRI, we measured neural signals from different layers of the LGN and SC, as well as from the early visual cortices (V1, V2 and MT), in patients with early-stage glaucoma and normal controls. Compared to normal controls, early glaucoma patients showed more reduction of response to transient achromatic stimuli than to sustained chromatic stimuli in the magnocellular layers of the LGN, as well as in the superficial layer of the SC. Magnocellular responses in the LGN were also significantly correlated with the degree of behavioral deficits to the glaucomatous eye. Finally, early glaucoma patients showed no reduction of fMRI response in the early visual cortex. These findings demonstrate that 'large cells' in the human LGN and SC suffer selective loss of response to transient achromatic stimuli at the early stage of glaucoma. Hum Brain Mapp 37:558-569, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wen Wen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Eye and ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinghuai Sun
- Department of Ophthalmology, Eye and ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sheng He
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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