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Chang K, Fine I, Boynton GM. Improving the Reliability and Accuracy of Population Receptive Field Measures Using a Logarithmically Warped Stimulus. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.11.598529. [PMID: 38915587 PMCID: PMC11195291 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.11.598529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
The population receptive field method, which measures the region in visual space that elicits a BOLD signal in a voxel in retinotopic cortex, is a powerful tool for investigating the functional organization of human visual cortex with fMRI (Dumoulin & Wandell, 2008). However, recent work has shown that population receptive field (pRF) estimates for early retinotopic visual areas can be biased and unreliable, especially for voxels representing the fovea. Here, we show that a 'log-bar' stimulus that is logarithmically warped along the eccentricity dimension produces more reliable estimates of pRF size and location than the traditional moving bar stimulus. The log-bar stimulus was better able to identify pRFs near the foveal representation, and pRFs were smaller in size, consistent with simulation estimates of receptive field sizes in the fovea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Chang
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington Seattle, Washington
| | - Ione Fine
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington Seattle, Washington
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2
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Suzuki Y, Kiyosawa M, Ishii K. Measurement of Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in the Visual Cortex Predicts the Prognosis of Hemianopia. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2024; 38:437-446. [PMID: 38659366 DOI: 10.1177/15459683241247536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Homonymous hemianopia caused by cerebrovascular disease may improve over time. This study investigated whether functional neuroimaging can predict the prognosis of hemianopia due to cerebral infarction. METHODS We studied 19 patients (10 men and 9 women) with homonymous hemianopia and compared them with 34 healthy subjects (20 men and 14 women). Cerebral glucose metabolism was measured by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), 1 to 6 months after the onset. Bilateral regions of interest (ROIs) were selected from the posterior and, anterior striate cortices, extrastriate cortex, and thalamus. Furthermore, semi-quantitative data on cerebral glucose metabolism were obtained for ROIs and compared with the data obtained for homologous regions in the contralateral hemisphere by calculating the ipsilateral/contralateral (I/C) ratio. RESULTS The I/C ratio for the cerebral glucose metabolism in the posterior striate cortex was high (>0.750) in 8 patients, and the central visual field of these patients improved or showed macular sparing. The I/C ratio for cerebral glucose metabolism in the anterior striate cortex was high (>0.830) in 7 patients, and the peripheral visual field of these patients improved. However, no improvement was observed in 9 patients with a low I/C ratio for cerebral glucose metabolism in both the posterior and anterior striate cortices. CONCLUSION Measurement of cerebral glucose metabolism in the striate cortex is useful for estimating visual field prognosis. Furthermore, FDG-PET is useful in predicting the prognosis of hemianopia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukihisa Suzuki
- Department of Ophthalmology, Japan Community Health Care Organization, Mishima General Hospital, Mishima, Japan
- Research Team for Neuroimaging, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Graduate School, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Kenji Ishii
- Research Team for Neuroimaging, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
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Fahrenthold BK, Cavanaugh MR, Tamhankar M, Lam BL, Feldon SE, Johnson BA, Huxlin KR. Training in Cortically Blinded Fields Appears to Confer Patient-Specific Benefit Against Retinal Thinning. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2024; 65:29. [PMID: 38635245 PMCID: PMC11033601 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.65.4.29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Damage to the adult primary visual cortex (V1) causes vision loss in the contralateral hemifield, initiating a process of transsynaptic retrograde degeneration (TRD). Here, we examined retinal correlates of TRD using a new metric to account for global changes in inner retinal thickness and asked if perceptual training in the intact or blind field impacts its progression. Methods We performed a meta-analysis of optical coherence tomography data in 48 participants with unilateral V1 stroke and homonymous visual defects who completed clinical trial NCT03350919. After measuring the thickness of the macular ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCL-IPL) and the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), we computed individual laterality indices (LI) at baseline and after ∼6 months of daily motion discrimination training in the intact or blind field. Increasingly positive LI denoted greater layer thinning in retinal regions affected versus unaffected by the cortical damage. Results Pretraining, the affected GCL-IPL and RNFL were thinner than their unaffected counterparts, generating LI values positively correlated with time since stroke. Participants trained in their intact field exhibited increased LIGCL-IPL. Those trained in their blind field had no significant change in LIGCL-IPL. LIRNFL did not change in either group. Conclusions Relative shrinkage of the affected versus unaffected macular GCL-IPL can be reliably measured at an individual level and increases with time post-V1 stroke. Relative thinning progressed during intact-field training but appeared to be halted by training within the blind field, suggesting a potentially neuroprotective effect of this simple behavioral intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berkeley K. Fahrenthold
- Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States
| | - Matthew R. Cavanaugh
- Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States
| | - Madhura Tamhankar
- Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Byron L. Lam
- Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, United States
| | - Steven E. Feldon
- Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States
| | - Brent A. Johnson
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States
| | - Krystel R. Huxlin
- Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States
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Fahrenthold BK, Cavanaugh MR, Tamhankar M, Lam BL, Feldon SE, Johnson BA, Huxlin KR. Training in cortically-blind fields confers patient-specific benefit against retinal thinning after occipital stroke. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.12.19.23298260. [PMID: 38196617 PMCID: PMC10775322 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.19.23298260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Purpose Damage to the adult primary visual cortex (V1) causes vision loss in the contralateral hemifield, initiating a process of trans-synaptic retrograde degeneration (TRD). Here, we examined retinal correlates of TRD using a new metric to account for global changes in inner retinal thickness, and asked if perceptual training in the intact or blind field impacts its progression. Methods We performed a meta-analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) data in 48 participants with unilateral V1 stroke and homonymous visual defects, who completed clinical trial NCT03350919. After measuring the thickness of the macular ganglion cell and inner plexiform layers (GCL-IPL), and the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), we computed individual laterality indices (LI) at baseline and after ~6 months of daily motion discrimination training in the intact- or blind-field. Increasingly positive LI denoted greater layer thinning in retinal regions affected versus unaffected by the cortical damage. Results Pre-training, the affected GCL-IPL and RNFL were thinner than their unaffected counterparts, generating LI values positively correlated with time since stroke. Participants trained in their intact-field exhibited increased LIGCL-IPL. Those trained in their blind-field had no significant change in LIGCL-IPL. LIRNFL did not change in either group. Conclusions Relative shrinkage of the affected versus unaffected macular GCL-IPL can be reliably measured at an individual level and increases with time post-V1 stroke. Relative thinning progressed during intact-field training, but appeared to be halted by training within the blind field, suggesting a potentially neuroprotective effect of this simple behavioral intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berkeley K. Fahrenthold
- Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Matthew R. Cavanaugh
- Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Madhura Tamhankar
- Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Byron L. Lam
- Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Steven E. Feldon
- Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Brent A. Johnson
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Krystel R. Huxlin
- Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
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Hung SC, Barbot A, Carrasco M. Visual perceptual learning modulates microsaccade rate and directionality. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16525. [PMID: 37783775 PMCID: PMC10545683 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42768-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Microsaccades, incessant "fixational eye movements" (< 1°), are an important window into cognitive functions. Yet, its role in visual perceptual learning (VPL)-improvements in visual discrimination due to practice-remains practically unexplored. Here we investigated whether and how microsaccades change in VPL. Human observers performed a Landolt acuity task for 5 consecutive days and were assigned to the Neutral or Attention group. On each trial, two peripheral Landolt squares were presented briefly along a diagonal. Observers reported the gap side of the target stimulus. Training improved acuity and modified the microsaccade rate; with training, the rate decreased during the fixation period but increased during the response cue. Furthermore, microsaccade direction during the response cue was biased toward the target location, and training enhanced and sped up this bias. Finally, the microsaccade rate during a task-free fixation period correlated with observers' initial acuity threshold, indicating that the fewer the microsaccades during fixation the better the individual visual acuity. All these results, which were similar for both the Neutral and Attention groups and at both trained and untrained locations, suggest that microsaccades could serve as a physiological marker reflecting functional dynamics in human perceptual learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shao-Chin Hung
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, USA.
| | - Antoine Barbot
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, USA
| | - Marisa Carrasco
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, USA
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Takakuwa N, Isa T. Visuomotor coordination and cognitive capacity in blindsight. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 82:102764. [PMID: 37597456 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Classical literature on blindsight described that some patients with lesions to the primary visual cortex could respond to visual stimuli without subjective awareness. Recent studies addressed more complex arguments on the conscious state of blindsight subjects such as existence of partial awareness, namely "feeling of something happening" in the lesion-affected visual field, termed 'type II blindsight', and high-level performance in complex cognitive tasks in blindsight model monkeys. Endeavors to clarify the visual pathways for blindsight revealed the parallel thalamic routes mediating the visual inputs from the superior colliculus to extrastriate and frontoparietal cortices, which may underlie the flexible visuomotor association and cognitive control in the blindsight subjects. Furthermore, involvement of post-lesion plasticity is suggested for these neural systems to operate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norihiro Takakuwa
- Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Tadashi Isa
- Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Human Brain Research Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
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Bevilacqua M, Huxlin KR, Hummel FC, Raffin E. Pathway and directional specificity of Hebbian plasticity in the cortical visual motion processing network. iScience 2023; 26:107064. [PMID: 37408682 PMCID: PMC10319215 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation (ccPAS), which repeatedly pairs single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over two distant brain regions, is thought to modulate synaptic plasticity. We explored its spatial selectivity (pathway and direction specificity) and its nature (oscillatory signature and perceptual consequences) when applied along the ascending (Forward) and descending (Backward) motion discrimination pathway. We found unspecific connectivity increases in bottom-up inputs in the low gamma band, probably reflecting visual task exposure. A clear distinction in information transfer occurred in the re-entrant alpha signals, which were only modulated by Backward-ccPAS, and predictive of visual improvements in healthy participants. These results suggest a causal involvement of the re-entrant MT-to-V1 low-frequency inputs in motion discrimination and integration in healthy participants. Modulating re-entrant input activity could provide single-subject prediction scenarios for visual recovery. Visual recovery might indeed partly rely on these residual inputs projecting to spared V1 neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Bevilacqua
- Defitech Chair in Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (NRX) and Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, Geneva, Switzerland
- Defitech Chair in Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (NRX) and Brain Mind Institute, Clinique Romande de Readaptation (CRR), EPFL Valais, Sion, Switzerland
| | - Krystel R. Huxlin
- The Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Friedhelm C. Hummel
- Defitech Chair in Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (NRX) and Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, Geneva, Switzerland
- Defitech Chair in Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (NRX) and Brain Mind Institute, Clinique Romande de Readaptation (CRR), EPFL Valais, Sion, Switzerland
- Clinical Neuroscience, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Estelle Raffin
- Defitech Chair in Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (NRX) and Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, Geneva, Switzerland
- Defitech Chair in Clinical Neuroengineering, Neuro-X Institute (NRX) and Brain Mind Institute, Clinique Romande de Readaptation (CRR), EPFL Valais, Sion, Switzerland
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Leitner MC, Ladek AM, Hutzler F, Reitsamer H, Hawelka S. Placebo effect after visual restitution training: no eye-tracking controlled perimetric improvement after visual border stimulation in late subacute and chronic visual field defects after stroke. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1114718. [PMID: 37456634 PMCID: PMC10339290 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1114718] [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: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction A significant number of Restitution Training (RT) paradigms claim to ameliorate visual field loss after stroke by re-activating neuronal connections in the residual visual cortex due to repeated bright light-stimulation at the border of the blind and intact fields. However, the effectiveness of RT has been considered controversial both in science and clinical practice for years. The main points of the controversy are (1) the reliability of perimetric results which may be affected by compensatory eye movements and (2) heterogeneous samples consisting of patients with visual field defects and/or visuospatial neglect. Methods By means of our newly developed and validated Virtual Reality goggles Salzburg Visual Field Trainer (SVFT) 16 stroke patients performed RT on a regular basis for 5 months. By means of our newly developed and validated Eye Tracking Based Visual Field Analysis (EFA), we conducted a first-time full eye-movement-controlled perimetric pre-post intervention study. Additionally, patients subjectively rated the size of their intact visual field. Results Analysis showed that patients' mean self-assessment of their subjective visual field size indicated statistically significant improvement while, in contrast, objective eye tracking controlled perimetric results revealed no statistically significant effect. Discussion Bright-light detection RT at the blind-field border solely induced a placebo effect and did not lead to training-induced neuroplasticity in the visual cortex of the type needed to ameliorate the visual field size of stroke patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Christian Leitner
- Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Salzburg, Austria
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience (CCNS), University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Anja-Maria Ladek
- Research Program for Experimental Ophthalmology and Glaucoma Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry, SALK, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Florian Hutzler
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience (CCNS), University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Herbert Reitsamer
- Research Program for Experimental Ophthalmology and Glaucoma Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry, SALK, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Stefan Hawelka
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience (CCNS), University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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Zhang Y, Bi K, Li J, Wang Y, Fang F. Dyadic visual perceptual learning on orientation discrimination. Curr Biol 2023:S0960-9822(23)00552-3. [PMID: 37224810 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The belief that learning can be modulated by social context is mainly supported by high-level value-based learning studies. However, whether social context can even modulate low-level learning such as visual perceptual learning (VPL) is still unknown. Unlike traditional VPL studies in which participants were trained singly, here, we developed a novel dyadic VPL paradigm in which paired participants were trained with the same orientation discrimination task and could monitor each other's performance. We found that the social context (i.e., dyadic training) led to a greater behavioral performance improvement and a faster learning rate compared with the single training. Interestingly, the facilitating effects could be modulated by the performance difference between paired participants. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) results showed that, compared with the single training, social cognition areas including bilateral parietal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex displayed a different activity pattern and enhanced functional connectivities to early visual cortex (EVC) during the dyadic training. Furthermore, the dyadic training resulted in more refined orientation representation in primary visual cortex (V1), which was closely associated with the greater behavioral performance improvement. Taken together, we demonstrate that the social context, learning with a partner, can remarkably augment the plasticity of low-level visual information process by means of reshaping the neural activities in EVC and social cognition areas, as well as their functional interplays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Zhang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, 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
| | - Keyan Bi
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, 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
| | - Jian Li
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yizhou Wang
- Center on Frontiers of Computing Studies, School of Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Fang Fang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, 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.
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Misawa M, Pyatova Y, Sen A, Markowitz M, Markowitz SN, Reber M, Daibert-Nido M. Innovative vision rehabilitation method for hemianopsia: Comparing pre- and post audio-luminous biofeedback training for ocular motility improving visual functions and quality of life. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1151736. [PMID: 37114220 PMCID: PMC10126773 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1151736] [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: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Homonymous hemianopsia (HH) corresponds to vision loss in one hemi-field secondary to retro-chiasmal injury. Patients with HH experience difficulties in scanning and orientation in their environment. Near vision daily activities such as reading can also be impaired. There is an unmet need for standardized vision rehabilitation protocols for HH. We investigated the effectiveness of biofeedback training (BT), used for vision rehabilitation in patients with central vision loss, in individuals with HH. Methods In this prospective pilot pre/post study, 12 participants, with HH consecutive to brain injury, performed 5 weekly BT sessions for 20 min each under supervision using the Macular Integrity Assessment microperimeter. BT consisted of relocation of the retinal locus 1-4° toward the blind hemi-field. Outcomes measured post-BT were paracentral retinal sensitivity, visual acuity (near vision), fixation stability, contrast sensitivity, reading speed, and visual functioning questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using Bayesian paired t-tests. Results Paracentral retinal sensitivity significantly increased by 2.7 ± 0.9 dB in the treated eye in 9/11 of the participants. Significant improvements with medium-to-large effect size were observed for fixation stability (8/12 participants), contrast sensitivity (6/12 participants) and near vision visual acuity (10/12 participants). Reading speed increased by 32.5 ± 32.4 words per minute in 10/11 participants. Quality of vision scores improved significantly with large effect size for visual ability, visual information and mobility. Conclusion BT led to encouraging improvements in visual functions and functional vision in individuals with HH. Further confirmation with larger trials is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Misawa
- Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yulia Pyatova
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Atri Sen
- Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michelle Markowitz
- Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Samuel N. Markowitz
- Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Reber
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Monica Daibert-Nido
- Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Monica Daibert-Nido,
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Battaglini L, Di Ponzio M, Ghiani A, Mena F, Santacesaria P, Casco C. Vision recovery with perceptual learning and non-invasive brain stimulation: Experimental set-ups and recent results, a review of the literature. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2022; 40:137-168. [PMID: 35964213 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-221261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vision is the sense which we rely on the most to interact with the environment and its integrity is fundamental for the quality of our life. However, around the globe, more than 1 billion people are affected by debilitating vision deficits. Therefore, finding a way to treat (or mitigate) them successfully is necessary. OBJECTIVE This narrative review aims to examine options for innovative treatment of visual disorders (retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, optic neuropathy, refractory disorders, hemianopia, amblyopia), especially with Perceptual Learning (PL) and Electrical Stimulation (ES). METHODS ES and PL can enhance visual abilities in clinical populations, inducing plastic changes. We describe the experimental set-ups and discuss the results of studies using ES or PL or their combination in order to suggest, based on literature, which treatment is the best option for each clinical condition. RESULTS Positive results were obtained using ES and PL to enhance visual functions. For example, repetitive transorbital Alternating Current Stimulation (rtACS) appeared as the most effective treatment for pre-chiasmatic disorders such as optic neuropathy. A combination of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and visual training seems helpful for people with hemianopia, while transcranial Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS) makes visual training more efficient in people with amblyopia and mild myopia. CONCLUSIONS This narrative review highlights the effect of different ES montages and PL in the treatment of visual disorders. Furthermore, new options for treatment are suggested. It is noteworthy to mention that, in some cases, unclear results emerged and others need to be more deeply investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Battaglini
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy.,Centro di Ateneo dei Servizi Clinici Universitari Psicologici (SCUP), University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Neuro.Vis.U.S, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Michele Di Ponzio
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy.,Istituto di Neuroscienze, Florence, Italy
| | - Andrea Ghiani
- Department of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Federica Mena
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy
| | | | - Clara Casco
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy.,Centro di Ateneo dei Servizi Clinici Universitari Psicologici (SCUP), University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Neuro.Vis.U.S, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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Kim Y, Im S, Oh J, Jung Y, Jun SY. Detection of post-stroke visual field loss by quantification of the retrogeniculate visual pathway. J Neurol Sci 2022; 439:120297. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2022.120297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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13
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Urale PWB, Puckett AM, York A, Arnold D, Schwarzkopf DS. Highly accurate retinotopic maps of the physiological blind spot in human visual cortex. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:5111-5125. [PMID: 35796159 PMCID: PMC9812231 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The physiological blind spot is a naturally occurring scotoma corresponding with the optic disc in the retina of each eye. Even during monocular viewing, observers are usually oblivious to the scotoma, in part because the visual system extrapolates information from the surrounding area. Unfortunately, studying this visual field region with neuroimaging has proven difficult, as it occupies only a small part of retinotopic cortex. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging and a novel data-driven method for mapping the retinotopic organization in and around the blind spot representation in V1. Our approach allowed for highly accurate reconstructions of the extent of an observer's blind spot, and out-performed conventional model-based analyses. This method opens exciting opportunities to study the plasticity of receptive fields after visual field loss, and our data add to evidence suggesting that the neural circuitry responsible for impressions of perceptual completion across the physiological blind spot most likely involves regions of extrastriate cortex-beyond V1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poutasi W. B. Urale
- School of Optometry & Vision ScienceUniversity of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Alexander M. Puckett
- School of PsychologyUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
- Queensland Brain InstituteUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Ashley York
- School of PsychologyUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
- Queensland Brain InstituteUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Derek Arnold
- School of PsychologyUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
- Queensland Brain InstituteUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - D. Samuel Schwarzkopf
- School of Optometry & Vision ScienceUniversity of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
- Experimental PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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14
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He Q, Yang XY, Zhao D, Fang F. Enhancement of visual perception by combining transcranial electrical stimulation and visual perceptual training. MEDICAL REVIEW (BERLIN, GERMANY) 2022; 2:271-284. [PMID: 37724187 PMCID: PMC10388778 DOI: 10.1515/mr-2022-0010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
The visual system remains highly malleable even after its maturity or impairment. Our visual function can be enhanced through many ways, such as transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) and visual perceptual learning (VPL). TES can change visual function rapidly, but its modulation effect is short-lived and unstable. By contrast, VPL can lead to a substantial and long-lasting improvement in visual function, but extensive training is typically required. Theoretically, visual function could be further improved in a shorter time frame by combining tES and VPL than by solely using tES or VPL. Vision enhancement by combining these two methods concurrently is both theoretically and practically significant. In this review, we firstly introduced the basic concept and possible mechanisms of VPL and tES; then we reviewed the current research progress of visual enhancement using the combination of two methods in both general and clinical population; finally, we discussed the limitations and future directions in this field. Our review provides a guide for future research and application of vision enhancement and restoration by combining VPL and tES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing He
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Machine Perception, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xin-Yue Yang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Machine Perception, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Daiqing Zhao
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, PA, USA
| | - Fang Fang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Machine Perception, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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15
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Cavanaugh MR, Tadin D, Carrasco M, Huxlin KR. Benefits of Endogenous Spatial Attention During Visual Double-Training in Cortically-Blinded Fields. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:771623. [PMID: 35495043 PMCID: PMC9046589 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.771623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recovery of visual discrimination thresholds inside cortically-blinded (CB) fields is most commonly attained at a single, trained location at a time, with iterative progress deeper into the blind field as performance improves over several months. As such, training is slow, inefficient, burdensome, and often frustrating for patients. Here, we investigated whether double-location training, coupled with a covert spatial-attention (SA) pre-cue, could improve the efficiency of training. Nine CB participants completed a randomized, training assignment with either a spatial attention or neutral pre-cue. All trained for a similar length of time on a fine direction discrimination task at two blind field locations simultaneously. Training stimuli and tasks for both cohorts were identical, save for the presence of a central pre-cue, to manipulate endogenous (voluntary) SA, or a Neutral pre-cue. Participants in the SA training cohort demonstrated marked improvements in direction discrimination thresholds, albeit not to normal/intact-field levels; participants in the Neutral training cohort remained impaired. Thus, double-training within cortically blind fields, when coupled with SA pre-cues can significantly improve direction discrimination thresholds at two locations simultaneously, offering a new method to improve performance and reduce the training burden for CB patients. Double-training without SA pre-cues revealed a hitherto unrecognized limitation of cortically-blind visual systems’ ability to improve while processing two stimuli simultaneously. These data could potentially explain why exposure to the typically complex visual environments encountered in everyday life is insufficient to induce visual recovery in CB patients. It is hoped that these new insights will direct both research and therapeutic developments toward methods that can attain better, faster recovery of vision in CB fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R. Cavanaugh
- Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Duje Tadin
- Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Marisa Carrasco
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Krystel R. Huxlin
- Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Krystel R. Huxlin,
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16
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He Q, Gan S. Neural Mechanisms of Visual Field Recovery after Perceptual Training in Cortical Blindness. J Neurosci 2022; 42:1886-1887. [PMID: 35264430 PMCID: PMC8916751 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1953-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Qing He
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Shuoqiu Gan
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China
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17
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Boosting visual perceptual learning by transcranial alternating current stimulation over the visual cortex at alpha frequency. Brain Stimul 2022; 15:546-553. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2022.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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18
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Saionz EL, Busza A, Huxlin KR. Rehabilitation of visual perception in cortical blindness. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2022; 184:357-373. [PMID: 35034749 PMCID: PMC9682408 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-819410-2.00030-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Blindness is a common sequela after stroke affecting the primary visual cortex, presenting as a contralesional, homonymous, visual field cut. This can occur unilaterally or, less commonly, bilaterally. While it has been widely assumed that after a brief period of spontaneous improvement, vision loss becomes stable and permanent, accumulating data show that visual training can recover some of the vision loss, even long after the stroke. Here, we review the different approaches to rehabilitation employed in adult-onset cortical blindness (CB), focusing on visual restoration methods. Most of this work was conducted in chronic stroke patients, partially restoring visual discrimination and luminance detection. However, to achieve this, patients had to train for extended periods (usually many months), and the vision restored was not entirely normal. Several adjuvants to training such as noninvasive, transcranial brain stimulation, and pharmacology are starting to be investigated for their potential to increase the efficacy of training in CB patients. However, these approaches are still exploratory and require considerably more research before being adopted. Nonetheless, having established that the adult visual system retains the capacity for restorative plasticity, attention recently turned toward the subacute poststroke period. Drawing inspiration from sensorimotor stroke rehabilitation, visual training was recently attempted for the first time in subacute poststroke patients. It improved vision faster, over larger portions of the blind field, and for a larger number of visual discrimination abilities than identical training initiated more than 6 months poststroke (i.e., in the chronic period). In conclusion, evidence now suggests that visual neuroplasticity after occipital stroke can be reliably recruited by a range of visual training approaches. In addition, it appears that poststroke visual plasticity is dynamic, with a critical window of opportunity in the early postdamage period to attain more rapid, more extensive recovery of a larger set of visual perceptual abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth L Saionz
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Ania Busza
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Krystel R Huxlin
- Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States.
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19
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Fahrenthold BK, Cavanaugh MR, Jang S, Murphy AJ, Ajina S, Bridge H, Huxlin KR. Optic Tract Shrinkage Limits Visual Restoration After Occipital Stroke. Stroke 2021; 52:3642-3650. [PMID: 34266305 PMCID: PMC8545836 DOI: 10.1161/strokeaha.121.034738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background and Purpose: Damage to the adult primary visual cortex (V1) causes vision loss in the contralateral visual hemifield, initiating a process of trans-synaptic retrograde degeneration. The present study examined functional implications of this process, asking if degeneration impacted the amount of visual recovery attainable from visual restoration training in chronic patients, and if restoration training impacted optic tract (OT) shrinkage. Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure OT volumes bilaterally in 36 patients with unilateral occipital stroke. From OT volumes, we computed laterality indices (LI), estimating the stroke-induced OT shrinkage in each case. A subset of these chronic patients (n=14, 13±6 months poststroke) underwent an average of nearly 1 year of daily visual restoration training, which repeatedly stimulated vision in their blind field. The amount of visual field recovery was quantified using Humphrey perimetry, and post training magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess the impact of training on OT shrinkage. Results: OT LI was correlated with time since stroke: it was close to 0 (no measurable OT shrinkage) in subacute participants (<6 months poststroke) while chronic participants (>6 months poststroke) exhibited LI >0, but with significant variability. Visual training did not systematically alter LI, but chronic patients with baseline LI≈0 (no OT shrinkage) exhibited greater visual field recovery than those with LI>0. Conclusions: Unilateral OT shrinkage becomes detectable with magnetic resonance imaging by ≈7 months poststroke, albeit with significant interindividual variability. Although visual restoration training did not alter the amount of degeneration already sustained, OT shrinkage appeared to serve as a biomarker of the potential for training-induced visual recovery in chronic cortically blind patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berkeley K. Fahrenthold
- Flaum Eye Institute (B.K.F., M.R.C., S.J., K.R.H.), University of Rochester, NY. Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Department of Neurorehabilitation and Therapy Services, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew R. Cavanaugh
- Flaum Eye Institute (B.K.F., M.R.C., S.J., K.R.H.), University of Rochester, NY. Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Department of Neurorehabilitation and Therapy Services, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom
| | - Subin Jang
- Flaum Eye Institute (B.K.F., M.R.C., S.J., K.R.H.), University of Rochester, NY. Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Department of Neurorehabilitation and Therapy Services, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom
| | - Allison J. Murphy
- Neuroscience Graduate Program (A.J.M.), University of Rochester, NY. Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Department of Neurorehabilitation and Therapy Services, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Krystel R. Huxlin
- Flaum Eye Institute (B.K.F., M.R.C., S.J., K.R.H.), University of Rochester, NY. Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Department of Neurorehabilitation and Therapy Services, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom
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