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Morelli F, Catalano G, Scognamillo I, Balzarotti N, Luparia A, Olivier L, Bertone C, Gori M, Signorini S. Visual Function and Neuropsychological Profiling of Idiopathic Infantile Nystagmus. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1348. [PMID: 37759948 PMCID: PMC10526276 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13091348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Though considered a benign condition, idiopathic infantile nystagmus (IIN) may be associated with decreased visual acuity and oculo-motor abnormalities, resulting in developmental delays and poor academic performance. Nevertheless, the specific visual function profile of IIN and its possible impact on neuropsychological development have been poorly investigated. To fill this gap, we retrospectively collected the clinical data of 60 children presenting with IIN over a 10-year period (43 male; mean age of 7 years, range of 2 months-17 years, 9 months). The majority of the subjects in our cohort presented with reduced visual acuity for far distances and normal visual acuity for near distances, associated with oculo-motor abnormalities. The overall scores of cognitive and visual-cognitive tests were in the normal range, but revealed peculiar cognitive and visual-cognitive profiles, defined by specific frailties in processing speed and visual-motor integration. The same neuropsychological profiles characterize many neurodevelopmental disorders and may express a transnosographic vulnerability of the dorsal stream. As the first study to explore the neuropsychologic competencies in children with IIN, our study unveils the presence of subclinical frailties that need to be addressed to sustain academic and social inclusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Morelli
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Agostino Bassi 21, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (F.M.); (I.S.)
- Developmental Neuro-Ophthalmology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (A.L.); (L.O.); (S.S.)
| | - Guido Catalano
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Agostino Bassi 21, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (F.M.); (I.S.)
| | - Ilaria Scognamillo
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Agostino Bassi 21, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (F.M.); (I.S.)
| | - Nicolò Balzarotti
- Unit for Visually Impaired People, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 82, 16100 Genova, Italy; (N.B.); (M.G.)
| | - Antonella Luparia
- Developmental Neuro-Ophthalmology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (A.L.); (L.O.); (S.S.)
| | - Lucrezia Olivier
- Developmental Neuro-Ophthalmology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (A.L.); (L.O.); (S.S.)
| | - Chiara Bertone
- Department of Surgical and Clinical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, Section of Ophthalmology, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico San Matteo, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
| | - Monica Gori
- Unit for Visually Impaired People, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 82, 16100 Genova, Italy; (N.B.); (M.G.)
| | - Sabrina Signorini
- Developmental Neuro-Ophthalmology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (A.L.); (L.O.); (S.S.)
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Lin J, Zhang L, Guo R, Jiao S, Song X, Feng S, Wang K, Li M, Luo Y, Han Z. The influence of visual deprivation on the development of the thalamocortical network: Evidence from congenitally blind children and adults. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119722. [PMID: 36323383 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The thalamus is heavily involved in relaying sensory signals to the cerebral cortex. A relevant issue is how the deprivation of congenital visual sensory information modulates the development of the thalamocortical network. The answer is unclear because previous studies on this topic did not investigate network development, structure-function combinations, and cognition-related behaviors in the same study. To overcome these limitations, we recruited 30 congenitally blind subjects (8 children, 22 adults) and 31 sighted subjects (10 children, 21 adults), and conducted multiple analyses [i.e., gray matter volume (GMV) analysis using the voxel-based morphometry (VBM) method, resting-state functional connectivity (FC), and brain-behavior correlation]. We found that congenital blindness elicited significant changes in the development of GMV in visual and somatosensory thalamic regions. Blindness also resulted in significant changes in the development of FC between somatosensory thalamic regions and visual cortical regions as well as advanced information processing regions. Moreover, the somatosensory thalamic regions and their FCs with visual cortical regions were reorganized to process high-level tactile language information in blind individuals. These findings provide a refined understanding of the neuroanatomical and functional plasticity of the thalamocortical network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junfeng Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Linjun Zhang
- School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Runhua Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Saiyi Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xiaomeng Song
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Suting Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ke Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Mingyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Yudan Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Zaizhu Han
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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Ocular and cerebral causes of visual impairment in young children and a new scoring system to evaluate visual function. Int Ophthalmol 2022; 42:1897-1904. [PMID: 35088360 DOI: 10.1007/s10792-021-02187-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Childhood blindness is important cause contributing to the burden of blindness. It is necessary to identify the most frequently observed diseases in different populations. We aimed to demonstrate clinical features of low vision children and to evaluate the factors affecting visual function by a new visual function scoring system. METHODS Two hundred forty nine children between the age of 6 months and 3 years were included. Visual function was scored from 0 to 15 according to; response to threat, light, object, presence of fixation, duration of fixation, following of light and object in horizontal, vertical, oblique, and circular gazes, optokinetic nystagmus. Patients were classified according to neurological diagnosis and cranial magnetic resonance imaging findings. Correlation between visual function score and ocular and neurologic findings were evaluated. RESULTS While 136 patients (54.6%) had cerebral visual impairment (CVI), 89 (35.7%) had ocular pathology, 24 patients (9.6%) had combined pathology. The most common ocular and cerebral pathologies were oculocutaneous albinism (23.9%) and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) (27.5%), respectively. Patients with CVI had lower visual function than ocular pathologies. Neurological structural disorders and HIE had worse visual function. Widespread involvement of brain had lower visual function score. Seizure negatively affected visual function. CONCLUSIONS Cerebral causes were found in approximately half of infants and children with low vision who were referred to our center for visual habilitation. The visual function scoring system we developed in this study will provide an opportunity to be objective in the follow-up of babies and in evaluating the effectiveness of visual habilitation programs.
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Hu W, Wang Y, Wang W, Zhang X, Shang X, Liao H, Chen Y, Huang Y, Zhang X, Tang S, Yu H, Yang X, He M, Zhu Z. Association of Visual, Hearing, and Dual Sensory Impairment With Incident Dementia. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:872967. [PMID: 35774111 PMCID: PMC9239339 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.872967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The relationship between sensory impairments and the risk of dementia is inconclusive. We aim to investigate the association of visual impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI), and dual sensory impairment (DSI) with incident dementia. Methods The UK Biobank study recruited more than 500,000 participants aged 40-69 years across the United Kingdom. Participants with available visual acuity (VA) measurements and speech-reception-threshold (SRT) information and free of dementia at the baseline assessment were included in the analysis. VI was defined as VA worse than 0.3 LogMAR units and HI were defined as an SRT of -5.5 dB or over. DSI was defined as the presence of both VI and HI. Incident dementia was identified through linked data to primary care or hospital admission records and death registries. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to examine the association of VI, HI, and DSI with incident dementia. Results Among 113,511 participants (mean age: 56.8 ± 8.09 years, female: 54.4%), a total number of 1,135 (1.00%) cases of incident dementia were identified during a median follow up period of 11.1 years [interquartile range (IQR): 10.9-11.4 years]. The incidence of dementia showed significant differences among the non-sensory impairment (NSI) group, VI-only group, HI-only group, and DSI group (p < 0.001). After adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, health, and genetic factors, isolated VI (HR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.06-2.12, p = 0.023), isolated HI (HR = 1.42, 95% CI:1.20-1.69, p < 0.001), and DSI (HR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.10-3.00, p = 0.020) were independently associated with higher risks of incident dementia. Conclusions Visual, hearing, and dual sensory impairments were associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, suggesting that visual and hearing impairments are modifiable risk factors that can be targeted to prevent dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyi Hu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou, China.,Centre for Eye Research Australia, Ophthalmology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Yueye Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinyu Zhang
- Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xianwen Shang
- Centre for Eye Research Australia, Ophthalmology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Huan Liao
- Neural Regeneration Group, Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Yifan Chen
- John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Yu Huang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xueli Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shulin Tang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Honghua Yu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaohong Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mingguang He
- Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou, China.,Centre for Eye Research Australia, Ophthalmology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhuoting Zhu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou, China.,Centre for Eye Research Australia, Ophthalmology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Ionta S. Visual Neuropsychology in Development: Anatomo-Functional Brain Mechanisms of Action/Perception Binding in Health and Disease. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:689912. [PMID: 34135745 PMCID: PMC8203289 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.689912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Vision is the main entrance for environmental input to the human brain. Even if vision is our most used sensory modality, its importance is not limited to environmental exploration. Rather it has strong links to motor competences, further extending to cognitive and social aspects of human life. These multifaceted relationships are particularly important in developmental age and become dramatically evident in presence of complex deficits originating from visual aberrancies. The present review summarizes the available neuropsychological evidence on the development of visual competences, with a particular focus on the associated visuo-motor integration skills in health and disease. With the aim of supporting future research and interventional settings, the goal of the present review is to constitute a solid base to help the translation of neuropsychological hypotheses into straightforward empirical investigations and rehabilitation/training protocols. This approach will further increase the impact, ameliorate the acceptance, and ease the use and implementation of lab-derived intervention protocols in real-life situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvio Ionta
- Sensory-Motor Lab (SeMoLa), Department of Ophthalmology-University of Lausanne, Jules Gonin Eye Hospital-Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Lausanne, Switzerland
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