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Schwartz E, Nenning KH, Heuer K, Jeffery N, Bertrand OC, Toro R, Kasprian G, Prayer D, Langs G. Evolution of cortical geometry and its link to function, behaviour and ecology. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2252. [PMID: 37080952 PMCID: PMC10119184 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37574-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies in comparative neuroanatomy and of the fossil record demonstrate the influence of socio-ecological niches on the morphology of the cerebral cortex, but have led to oftentimes conflicting theories about its evolution. Here, we study the relationship between the shape of the cerebral cortex and the topography of its function. We establish a joint geometric representation of the cerebral cortices of ninety species of extant Euarchontoglires, including commonly used experimental model organisms. We show that variability in surface geometry relates to species' ecology and behaviour, independent of overall brain size. Notably, ancestral shape reconstruction of the cortical surface and its change during evolution enables us to trace the evolutionary history of localised cortical expansions, modal segregation of brain function, and their association to behaviour and cognition. We find that individual cortical regions follow different sequences of area increase during evolutionary adaptations to dynamic socio-ecological niches. Anatomical correlates of this sequence of events are still observable in extant species, and relate to their current behaviour and ecology. We decompose the deep evolutionary history of the shape of the human cortical surface into spatially and temporally conscribed components with highly interpretable functional associations, highlighting the importance of considering the evolutionary history of cortical regions when studying their anatomy and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernst Schwartz
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Computational Imaging Research Lab, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Karl-Heinz Nenning
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Computational Imaging Research Lab, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Katja Heuer
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité de Neuroanatomie Appliquée et Théorique, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Nathan Jeffery
- Institute of Life Course & Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, England
| | - Ornella C Bertrand
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès., Barcelona, Spain
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH9 3FE, United Kingdom
| | - Roberto Toro
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité de Neuroanatomie Appliquée et Théorique, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Gregor Kasprian
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Computational Imaging Research Lab, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniela Prayer
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Computational Imaging Research Lab, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Georg Langs
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Computational Imaging Research Lab, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Aggius-Vella E, Chebat DR, Maidenbaum S, Amedi A. Activation of human visual area V6 during egocentric navigation with and without visual experience. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1211-1219.e5. [PMID: 36863342 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.025] [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: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
V6 is a retinotopic area located in the dorsal visual stream that integrates eye movements with retinal and visuo-motor signals. Despite the known role of V6 in visual motion, it is unknown whether it is involved in navigation and how sensory experiences shape its functional properties. We explored the involvement of V6 in egocentric navigation in sighted and in congenitally blind (CB) participants navigating via an in-house distance-to-sound sensory substitution device (SSD), the EyeCane. We performed two fMRI experiments on two independent datasets. In the first experiment, CB and sighted participants navigated the same mazes. The sighted performed the mazes via vision, while the CB performed them via audition. The CB performed the mazes before and after a training session, using the EyeCane SSD. In the second experiment, a group of sighted participants performed a motor topography task. Our results show that right V6 (rhV6) is selectively involved in egocentric navigation independently of the sensory modality used. Indeed, after training, rhV6 of CB is selectively recruited for auditory navigation, similarly to rhV6 in the sighted. Moreover, we found activation for body movement in area V6, which can putatively contribute to its involvement in egocentric navigation. Taken together, our findings suggest that area rhV6 is a unique hub that transforms spatially relevant sensory information into an egocentric representation for navigation. While vision is clearly the dominant modality, rhV6 is in fact a supramodal area that can develop its selectivity for navigation in the absence of visual experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Aggius-Vella
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology, Reichman University, 4610101 Herzliya, Israel.
| | - Daniel-Robert Chebat
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ariel University, 4076414 Ariel, Israel; Navigation and Accessibility Research Center of Ariel University (NARCA), Ariel University, 4076414 Ariel, Israel.
| | - Shachar Maidenbaum
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501 Beersheba, Israel; Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501 Beersheba, Israel.
| | - Amir Amedi
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology, Reichman University, 4610101 Herzliya, Israel.
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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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Arend I, Yuen K, Yizhar O, Chebat DR, Amedi A. Gyrification in relation to cortical thickness in the congenitally blind. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:970878. [DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.970878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Greater cortical gyrification (GY) is linked with enhanced cognitive abilities and is also negatively related to cortical thickness (CT). Individuals who are congenitally blind (CB) exhibits remarkable functional brain plasticity which enables them to perform certain non-visual and cognitive tasks with supranormal abilities. For instance, extensive training using touch and audition enables CB people to develop impressive skills and there is evidence linking these skills to cross-modal activations of primary visual areas. There is a cascade of anatomical, morphometric and functional-connectivity changes in non-visual structures, volumetric reductions in several components of the visual system, and CT is also increased in CB. No study to date has explored GY changes in this population, and no study has explored how variations in CT are related to GY changes in CB. T1-weighted 3D structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired to examine the effects of congenital visual deprivation in cortical structures in a healthy sample of 11 CB individuals (6 male) and 16 age-matched sighted controls (SC) (10 male). In this report, we show for the first time an increase in GY in several brain areas of CB individuals compared to SC, and a negative relationship between GY and CT in the CB brain in several different cortical areas. We discuss the implications of our findings and the contributions of developmental factors and synaptogenesis to the relationship between CT and GY in CB individuals compared to SC. F.
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Pamir Z, Jung JH, Peli E. Preparing participants for the use of the tongue visual sensory substitution device. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2022; 17:888-896. [PMID: 32997554 PMCID: PMC8007668 DOI: 10.1080/17483107.2020.1821102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Visual sensory substitution devices (SSDs) convey visual information to a blind person through another sensory modality. Using a visual SSD in various daily activities requires training prior to use the device independently. Yet, there is limited literature about procedures and outcomes of the training conducted for preparing users for practical use of SSDs in daily activities. METHODS We trained 29 blind adults (9 with congenital and 20 with acquired blindness) in the use of a commercially available electro-tactile SSD, BrainPort. We describe a structured training protocol adapted from the previous studies, responses of participants, and we present retrospective qualitative data on the progress of participants during the training. RESULTS The length of the training was not a critical factor in reaching an advanced stage. Though performance in the first two sessions seems to be a good indicator of participants' ability to progress in the training protocol, there are large individual differences in how far and how fast each participant can progress in the training protocol. There are differences between congenital blind users and those blinded later in life. CONCLUSIONS The information on the training progression would be of interest to researchers preparing studies, and to eye care professionals, who may advise patients to use SSDs.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThere are large individual differences in how far and how fast each participant can learn to use a visual-to-tactile sensory substitution device for a variety of tasks.Recognition is mainly achieved through top-down processing with prior knowledge about the possible responses. Therefore, the generalizability is still questionable.Users develop different strategies in order to succeed in training tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahide Pamir
- Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Jae-Hyun Jung
- Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Eli Peli
- Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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Arbel R, Heimler B, Amedi A. Face shape processing via visual-to-auditory sensory substitution activates regions within the face processing networks in the absence of visual experience. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:921321. [PMID: 36263367 PMCID: PMC9576157 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.921321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous evidence suggests that visual experience is crucial for the emergence and tuning of the typical neural system for face recognition. To challenge this conclusion, we trained congenitally blind adults to recognize faces via visual-to-auditory sensory-substitution (SDD). Our results showed a preference for trained faces over other SSD-conveyed visual categories in the fusiform gyrus and in other known face-responsive-regions of the deprived ventral visual stream. We also observed a parametric modulation in the same cortical regions, for face orientation (upright vs. inverted) and face novelty (trained vs. untrained). Our results strengthen the conclusion that there is a predisposition for sensory-independent and computation-specific processing in specific cortical regions that can be retained in life-long sensory deprivation, independently of previous perceptual experience. They also highlight that if the right training is provided, such cortical preference maintains its tuning to what were considered visual-specific face features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roni Arbel
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Pediatrics, Hadassah University Hospital-Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel
- *Correspondence: Roni Arbel,
| | - Benedetta Heimler
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Ivcher School of Psychology, The Institute for Brain, Mind, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzeliya, Israel
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Ivcher School of Psychology, The Institute for Brain, Mind, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzeliya, Israel
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Grey Matter Hypertrophy and Atrophy in Early-Blind Adolescents: A Surface-Based Morphometric Study. DISEASE MARKERS 2022; 2022:8550714. [PMID: 35557871 PMCID: PMC9090530 DOI: 10.1155/2022/8550714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Objective This study is aimed at exploring the regional changes in brain cortical morphology (thickness, volume, and surface area) in the early-blind adolescents (EBAs) by using the surface-based morphometric (SBM) method. Methods High-resolution structural T1-weighted images (T1WI) of 23 early-blind adolescents (EBAs) and 21 age- and gender-matched normal-sighted controls (NSCs) were acquired. Structural indices, including cortical thickness (CT), cortical volume (CV), and surface area (SA), were analyzed by using FreeSurfer software, and the correlations between structural indices and the blindness duration were computed by Pearson correlation analysis. Results Compared to controls, EBAs had significantly reduced CV and SA mainly in the primary visual cortex (V1) and decreased CV in the left vision-related cortices (r-MFC). There were no regions that EBAs had a significantly larger CV or SA than NSCs. EBAs had significantly increased CT in the V1 and strongly involved the visual cortex (right lateral occipital gyrus, LOG.R) and the left superior temporal gyrus (STG.L), while it had decreased CT in the left superior parietal lobule (SPL.L) and the right lingual gyrus (LING.R). Additionally, no correlation was found between cortical morphometric measures and clinical variables in the EBA group. Conclusions SBM is a useful method for detecting human brain structural abnormalities in blindness. The results showed that these structural abnormalities in the visual cortex and visual-related areas outside the occipital cortex in the EBAs not only may be influenced by neurodevelopment, degeneration, plasticity, and so on but also involved the interaction of these factors after the early visual deprivation.
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Pieniak M, Lachowicz-Tabaczek K, Karwowski M, Oleszkiewicz A. Sensory compensation beliefs among blind and sighted individuals. Scand J Psychol 2021; 63:72-82. [PMID: 34708412 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The process of neural and behavioral reorganization following sensory loss is known as sensory compensation. Typically, it is believed that sensory loss is followed by increased acuity of the intact modalities. Indeed, many studies compared blind and sighted individuals' sensitivity of the intact sensory modalities. Yet, it remains poorly understood whether sensory compensation is reflected in the lay beliefs of those, whom it concerns. We examined whether blind and sighted individuals believe that their lack of vision is compensated by increased sensitivity of the intact senses. Study 1 (n = 63) aimed to compare the ratings of sensory sensitivity made by blind and sighted people. Participants rated the sensory sensitivity of a blind population in four modalities (i.e., olfaction, audition, gustation, touch) and compared it to the sensory sensitivity of a sighted population. In Study 2 (n = 191) participants rated their own sensory sensitivity in four modalities. Each participant referred to (1) people of the same sensory status and (2) people of the opposite sensory status. The level of global self-esteem was controlled to verify self-enhancing nature of these beliefs. The results of both studies showed that the beliefs about sensory compensation are shared by blind and sighted participants on group and on individual levels. The self-enhancement underpinning of these beliefs was most pronounced in gustatory sensitivity assessment. Psychological and medical consequences of sensory compensation beliefs are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Pieniak
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | | | | | - Anna Oleszkiewicz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Blindness and the Reliability of Downwards Sensors to Avoid Obstacles: A Study with the EyeCane. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21082700. [PMID: 33921202 PMCID: PMC8070041 DOI: 10.3390/s21082700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Vision loss has dramatic repercussions on the quality of life of affected people, particularly with respect to their orientation and mobility. Many devices are available to help blind people to navigate in their environment. The EyeCane is a recently developed electronic travel aid (ETA) that is inexpensive and easy to use, allowing for the detection of obstacles lying ahead within a 2 m range. The goal of this study was to investigate the potential of the EyeCane as a primary aid for spatial navigation. Three groups of participants were recruited: early blind, late blind, and sighted. They were first trained with the EyeCane and then tested in a life-size obstacle course with four obstacles types: cube, door, post, and step. Subjects were requested to cross the corridor while detecting, identifying, and avoiding the obstacles. Each participant had to perform 12 runs with 12 different obstacles configurations. All participants were able to learn quickly to use the EyeCane and successfully complete all trials. Amongst the various obstacles, the step appeared to prove the hardest to detect and resulted in more collisions. Although the EyeCane was effective for detecting obstacles lying ahead, its downward sensor did not reliably detect those on the ground, rendering downward obstacles more hazardous for navigation.
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Ptito M, Bleau M, Djerourou I, Paré S, Schneider FC, Chebat DR. Brain-Machine Interfaces to Assist the Blind. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:638887. [PMID: 33633557 PMCID: PMC7901898 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.638887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The loss or absence of vision is probably one of the most incapacitating events that can befall a human being. The importance of vision for humans is also reflected in brain anatomy as approximately one third of the human brain is devoted to vision. It is therefore unsurprising that throughout history many attempts have been undertaken to develop devices aiming at substituting for a missing visual capacity. In this review, we present two concepts that have been prevalent over the last two decades. The first concept is sensory substitution, which refers to the use of another sensory modality to perform a task that is normally primarily sub-served by the lost sense. The second concept is cross-modal plasticity, which occurs when loss of input in one sensory modality leads to reorganization in brain representation of other sensory modalities. Both phenomena are training-dependent. We also briefly describe the history of blindness from ancient times to modernity, and then proceed to address the means that have been used to help blind individuals, with an emphasis on modern technologies, invasive (various type of surgical implants) and non-invasive devices. With the advent of brain imaging, it has become possible to peer into the neural substrates of sensory substitution and highlight the magnitude of the plastic processes that lead to a rewired brain. Finally, we will address the important question of the value and practicality of the available technologies and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurice Ptito
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Maxime Bleau
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Ismaël Djerourou
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Samuel Paré
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Fabien C. Schneider
- TAPE EA7423 University of Lyon-Saint Etienne, Saint Etienne, France
- Neuroradiology Unit, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Daniel-Robert Chebat
- Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (VCN Lab), Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ariel University, Ariel, Israël
- Navigation and Accessibility Research Center of Ariel University (NARCA), Ariel, Israël
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Likova LT, Mineff KN, Tyler CW. Multipurpose Spatiomotor Capture System for Haptic and Visual Training and Testing in the Blind and Sighted. IS&T INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ELECTRONIC IMAGING 2021; 33:160. [PMID: 35359581 PMCID: PMC8966903 DOI: 10.2352/issn.2470-1173.2021.11.hvei-160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We describe the development of a multipurpose haptic stimulus delivery and spatiomotor recording system with tactile map-overlays for electronic processing This innovative multipurpose spatiomotor capture system will serve a wide range of functions in the training and behavioral assessment of spatial memory and precise motor control for blindness rehabilitation, both for STEM learning and for navigation training and map reading. Capacitive coupling through the map-overlays to the touch-tablet screen below them allows precise recording i) of hand movements during haptic exploration of tactile raised-line images on one tablet and ii) of line-drawing trajectories on the other, for analysis of navigational errors, speed, time elapsed, etc. Thus, this system will provide for the first time in an integrated and automated manner quantitative assessments of the whole 'perception-cognition-action' loop - from non-visual exploration strategies, spatial memory, precise spatiomotor control and coordination, drawing performance, and navigation capabilities, as well as of haptic and movement planning and control. The accuracy of memory encoding, in particular, can be assessed by the memory-drawing operation of the capture system. Importantly, this system allows for both remote and in-person operation. Although the focus is on visually impaired populations, the system is designed to equally serve training and assessments in the normally sighted as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lora T Likova
- Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, Ca, USA
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Chebat DR, Schneider FC, Ptito M. Spatial Competence and Brain Plasticity in Congenital Blindness via Sensory Substitution Devices. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:815. [PMID: 32848575 PMCID: PMC7406645 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In congenital blindness (CB), tactile, and auditory information can be reinterpreted by the brain to compensate for visual information through mechanisms of brain plasticity triggered by training. Visual deprivation does not cause a cognitive spatial deficit since blind people are able to acquire spatial knowledge about the environment. However, this spatial competence takes longer to achieve but is eventually reached through training-induced plasticity. Congenitally blind individuals can further improve their spatial skills with the extensive use of sensory substitution devices (SSDs), either visual-to-tactile or visual-to-auditory. Using a combination of functional and anatomical neuroimaging techniques, our recent work has demonstrated the impact of spatial training with both visual to tactile and visual to auditory SSDs on brain plasticity, cortical processing, and the achievement of certain forms of spatial competence. The comparison of performances between CB and sighted people using several different sensory substitution devices in perceptual and sensory-motor tasks uncovered the striking ability of the brain to rewire itself during perceptual learning and to interpret novel sensory information even during adulthood. We discuss here the implications of these findings for helping blind people in navigation tasks and to increase their accessibility to both real and virtual environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel-Robert Chebat
- Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (VCN Lab), Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
- Navigation and Accessibility Research Center of Ariel University (NARCA), Ariel, Israel
| | - Fabien C. Schneider
- Department of Radiology, University of Lyon, Saint-Etienne, France
- Neuroradiology Unit, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Maurice Ptito
- BRAIN Lab, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Chaire de Recherche Harland Sanders en Sciences de la Vision, École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Pamir Z, Canoluk MU, Jung JH, Peli E. Poor resolution at the back of the tongue is the bottleneck for spatial pattern recognition. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2435. [PMID: 32051455 PMCID: PMC7015888 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59102-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial patterns presented on the tongue using electro-tactile sensory substitution devices (SSDs) have been suggested to be recognized better by tracing the pattern with the tip of the tongue. We examined if the functional benefit of tracing is overcoming the poor sensitivity or low spatial resolution at the back of the tongue or alternatively compensating for limited information processing capacity by fixating on a segment of the spatial pattern at a time. Using a commercially available SSD, the BrainPort, we compared letter recognition performance in three presentation modes; tracing, static, and drawing. Stimulation intensity was either constant or increased from the tip to the back of the tongue to partially compensate for the decreasing sensitivity. Recognition was significantly better for tracing, compared to static and drawing conditions. Confusion analyses showed that letters were confused based on their characteristics presented near the tip in static and drawing conditions. The results suggest that recognition performance is limited by the poor spatial resolution at the back of the tongue, and tracing seems to be an effective strategy to overcome this. Compensating for limited information processing capacity or poor sensitivity by drawing or increasing intensity at the back, respectively, does not improve the performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahide Pamir
- The Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass. Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - M Umut Canoluk
- The Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass. Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jae-Hyun Jung
- The Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass. Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eli Peli
- The Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass. Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Zhang C, Lee TMC, Fu Y, Ren C, Chan CCH, Tao Q. Properties of cross-modal occipital responses in early blindness: An ALE meta-analysis. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 24:102041. [PMID: 31677587 PMCID: PMC6838549 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
ALE meta-analysis reveals distributed brain networks for object and spatial functions in individuals with early blindness. ALE contrast analysis reveals specific activations in the left cuneus and lingual gyrus for language function, suggesting a reverse hierarchical organization of the visual cortex for early blind individuals. The findings contribute to visual rehabilitation in blind individuals by revealing the function-dependent and sensory-independent networks during nonvisual processing.
Cross-modal occipital responses appear to be essential for nonvisual processing in individuals with early blindness. However, it is not clear whether the recruitment of occipital regions depends on functional domain or sensory modality. The current study utilized a coordinate-based meta-analysis to identify the distinct brain regions involved in the functional domains of object, spatial/motion, and language processing and the common brain regions involved in both auditory and tactile modalities in individuals with early blindness. Following the PRISMA guidelines, a total of 55 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The specific analyses revealed the brain regions that are consistently recruited for each function, such as the dorsal fronto-parietal network for spatial function and ventral occipito-temporal network for object function. This is consistent with the literature, suggesting that the two visual streams are preserved in early blind individuals. The contrast analyses found specific activations in the left cuneus and lingual gyrus for language function. This finding is novel and suggests a reverse hierarchical organization of the visual cortex for early blind individuals. The conjunction analyses found common activations in the right middle temporal gyrus, right precuneus and a left parieto-occipital region. Clinically, this work contributes to visual rehabilitation in early blind individuals by revealing the function-dependent and sensory-independent networks during nonvisual processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caiyun Zhang
- Psychology Department, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Tatia M C Lee
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, CHINA; Laboratory of Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, CHINA; The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yunwei Fu
- Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Chaoran Ren
- Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China; Guangdong key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China; Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China; Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chetwyn C H Chan
- Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, CHINA.
| | - Qian Tao
- Psychology Department, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou, China.
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15
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Working memory training integrates visual cortex into beta-band networks in congenitally blind individuals. Neuroimage 2019; 194:259-271. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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16
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Reduction of Interhemispheric Functional Brain Connectivity in Early Blindness: A Resting-State fMRI Study. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2017; 2017:6756927. [PMID: 28656145 PMCID: PMC5471583 DOI: 10.1155/2017/6756927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Revised: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the resting-state interhemispheric functional connectivity in early blindness by using voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC). MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixteen early blind patients (EB group) and sixteen age- and gender-matched sighted control volunteers (SC group) were recruited in this study. We used VMHC to identify brain areas with significant differences in functional connectivity between different groups and used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to calculate the individual gray matter volume (GMV). RESULTS VMHC analysis showed a significantly lower connectivity in primary visual cortex, visual association cortex, and somatosensory association cortex in EB group compared to sighted controls. Additionally, VBM analysis revealed that GMV was reduced in the left lateral calcarine cortices in EB group compared to sighted controls, while it was increased in the left lateral middle occipital gyri. Statistical analysis showed the duration of blindness negatively correlated with VMHC in the bilateral middle frontal gyri, middle temporal gyri, and inferior temporal gyri. CONCLUSIONS Our findings help elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms of EB. The interhemispheric functional connectivity was impaired in EB patients. Additionally, the middle frontal gyri, middle temporal gyri, and inferior temporal gyri may be potential target regions for rehabilitation.
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Abstract
Significant work has documented neuroplasticity in development, demonstrating that developmental pathways are shaped by experience. Plasticity is often discussed in terms of the results of differences in input; differences in brain structures, processes, or responses reflect differences in experience. In this paper, I discuss how developmental plasticity also effectively changes input into the system. That is, structures and processes change in response to input, and those changed structures and processes influence future inputs. For example, plasticity may change the pattern of eye movements to a stimulus, thereby changing which part of the scene becomes the input. Thus, plasticity is not only seen in the structures and processes that result from differences in experience, but also is seen in the changes in the input as those structures and processes adapt. The systematic study of the nature of experience, and how differences in experience shape learning, can contribute to our understanding of neuroplasticity in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Oakes
- Department of Psychology, Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, 267 Cousteau Place, Davis, CA 95618, United States
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18
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Visual deprivation selectively reshapes the intrinsic functional architecture of the anterior insula subregions. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45675. [PMID: 28358391 PMCID: PMC5372462 DOI: 10.1038/srep45675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The anterior insula (AI) is the core hub of salience network that serves to identify the most relevant stimuli among vast sensory inputs and forward them to higher cognitive regions to guide behaviour. As blind subjects were usually reported with changed perceptive abilities for salient non-visual stimuli, we hypothesized that the resting-state functional network of the AI is selectively reorganized after visual deprivation. The resting-state functional connectivity (FC) of the bilateral dorsal and ventral AI was calculated for twenty congenitally blind (CB), 27 early blind (EB), 44 late blind (LB) individuals and 50 sighted controls (SCs). The FCs of the dorsal AI were strengthened with the dorsal visual stream, while weakened with the ventral visual stream in the blind than the SCs; in contrast, the FCs of the ventral AI of the blind was strengthened with the ventral visual stream. Furthermore, these strengthened FCs of both the dorsal and ventral AI were partially negatively associated with the onset age of blindness. Our result indicates two parallel pathways that selectively transfer non-visual salient information between the deprived “visual” cortex and salience network in blind subjects.
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Tao Q, Chan CCH, Luo YJ, Li JJ, Ting KH, Lu ZL, Whitfield-Gabrieli S, Wang J, Lee TMC. Prior Visual Experience Modulates Learning of Sound Localization Among Blind Individuals. Brain Topogr 2017; 30:364-379. [PMID: 28161728 PMCID: PMC5408050 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-017-0549-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 01/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Cross-modal learning requires the use of information from different sensory modalities. This study investigated how the prior visual experience of late blind individuals could modulate neural processes associated with learning of sound localization. Learning was realized by standardized training on sound localization processing, and experience was investigated by comparing brain activations elicited from a sound localization task in individuals with (late blind, LB) and without (early blind, EB) prior visual experience. After the training, EB showed decreased activation in the precuneus, which was functionally connected to a limbic-multisensory network. In contrast, LB showed the increased activation of the precuneus. A subgroup of LB participants who demonstrated higher visuospatial working memory capabilities (LB-HVM) exhibited an enhanced precuneus-lingual gyrus network. This differential connectivity suggests that visuospatial working memory due to the prior visual experience gained via LB-HVM enhanced learning of sound localization. Active visuospatial navigation processes could have occurred in LB-HVM compared to the retrieval of previously bound information from long-term memory for EB. The precuneus appears to play a crucial role in learning of sound localization, disregarding prior visual experience. Prior visual experience, however, could enhance cross-modal learning by extending binding to the integration of unprocessed information, mediated by the cognitive functions that these experiences develop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Tao
- Psychology Department, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
- Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Chetwyn C H Chan
- Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
| | - Yue-Jia Luo
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jian-Jun Li
- China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, China
| | - Kin-Hung Ting
- Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Zhong-Lin Lu
- Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, Arts, & Sciences, Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Ohio, OH, 43210, USA
| | | | - Jun Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Tatia M C Lee
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
- Laboratory of Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
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20
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaira Cattaneo
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- Brain Connectivity Center, C. Mondino National Neurological Institute, Pavia, Italy
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Cecchetti L, Kupers R, Ptito M, Pietrini P, Ricciardi E. Are Supramodality and Cross-Modal Plasticity the Yin and Yang of Brain Development? From Blindness to Rehabilitation. Front Syst Neurosci 2016; 10:89. [PMID: 27877116 PMCID: PMC5099160 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2016.00089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Research in blind individuals has primarily focused for a long time on the brain plastic reorganization that occurs in early visual areas. Only more recently, scientists have developed innovative strategies to understand to what extent vision is truly a mandatory prerequisite for the brain's fine morphological architecture to develop and function. As a whole, the studies conducted to date in sighted and congenitally blind individuals have provided ample evidence that several "visual" cortical areas develop independently from visual experience and do process information content regardless of the sensory modality through which a particular stimulus is conveyed: a property named supramodality. At the same time, lack of vision leads to a structural and functional reorganization within "visual" brain areas, a phenomenon known as cross-modal plasticity. Cross-modal recruitment of the occipital cortex in visually deprived individuals represents an adaptative compensatory mechanism that mediates processing of non-visual inputs. Supramodality and cross-modal plasticity appears to be the "yin and yang" of brain development: supramodal is what takes place despite the lack of vision, whereas cross-modal is what happens because of lack of vision. Here we provide a critical overview of the research in this field and discuss the implications that these novel findings have for the development of educative/rehabilitation approaches and sensory substitution devices (SSDs) in sensory-impaired individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Cecchetti
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Care, University of PisaPisa, Italy; Clinical Psychology Branch, Pisa University HospitalPisa, Italy
| | - Ron Kupers
- BRAINlab, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Panum Institute, University of CopenhagenCopenhagen, Denmark; Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT, USA
| | - Maurice Ptito
- Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, Psychiatric Centre CopenhagenCopenhagen, Denmark; School of Optometry, Université de MontréalMontréal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Emiliano Ricciardi
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Care, University of PisaPisa, Italy; MOMILab, IMT School for Advanced Studies LuccaLucca, Italy
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Abstract
Low vision is any type of visual impairment that affects activities of daily living. In the context of low vision, we define plasticity as changes in brain or perceptual behavior that follow the onset of visual impairment and that are not directly due to the underlying pathology. An important goal of low-vision research is to determine how plasticity affects visual performance of everyday activities. In this review, we consider the levels of the visual system at which plasticity occurs, the impact of age and visual experience on plasticity, and whether plastic changes are spontaneous or require explicit training. We also discuss how plasticity may affect low-vision rehabilitation. Developments in retinal imaging, noninvasive brain imaging, and eye tracking have supplemented traditional clinical and psychophysical methods for assessing how the visual system adapts to visual impairment. Findings from contemporary research are providing tools to guide people with low vision in adopting appropriate rehabilitation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon E Legge
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455;
| | - Susana T L Chung
- School of Optometry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720;
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23
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Vincent M, Tang H, Khoo W, Zhu Z, Ro T. Shape Discrimination Using the Tongue: Implications for a Visual-to-Tactile Sensory Substitution Device. Multisens Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1163/22134808-00002542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Sensory substitution devices have the potential to provide individuals with visual impairments with more information about their environments, which may help them recognize objects and achieve more independence in their daily lives. However, many of these devices may require extensive training and might be limited in the amount of information that they can convey. We tested the effectiveness and assessed some of the limitations of the BrainPort device, which provides stimulation through a 20 × 20 electrode grid array on the tongue. Across five experiments, including one with blind individuals, we found that subjects were unable to accurately discriminate between simple shapes as well as different line orientations that were briefly presented on the tongue, even after 300 trials of practice with the device. These experiments indicate that such a minimal training regimen with the BrainPort is not sufficient for object recognition, raising serious concerns about the usability of this device without extensive training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Vincent
- The City College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Hao Tang
- The City College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Wai Khoo
- The City College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Zhigang Zhu
- The City College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Tony Ro
- The City College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10016, USA
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24
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Tal Z, Geva R, Amedi A. The origins of metamodality in visual object area LO: Bodily topographical biases and increased functional connectivity to S1. Neuroimage 2015; 127:363-375. [PMID: 26673114 PMCID: PMC4758827 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.11.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Revised: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence from blind participants suggests that visual areas are task-oriented and sensory modality input independent rather than sensory-specific to vision. Specifically, visual areas are thought to retain their functional selectivity when using non-visual inputs (touch or sound) even without having any visual experience. However, this theory is still controversial since it is not clear whether this also characterizes the sighted brain, and whether the reported results in the sighted reflect basic fundamental a-modal processes or are an epiphenomenon to a large extent. In the current study, we addressed these questions using a series of fMRI experiments aimed to explore visual cortex responses to passive touch on various body parts and the coupling between the parietal and visual cortices as manifested by functional connectivity. We show that passive touch robustly activated the object selective parts of the lateral–occipital (LO) cortex while deactivating almost all other occipital–retinotopic-areas. Furthermore, passive touch responses in the visual cortex were specific to hand and upper trunk stimulations. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis suggests that LO is functionally connected to the hand area in the primary somatosensory homunculus (S1), during hand and shoulder stimulations but not to any of the other body parts. We suggest that LO is a fundamental hub that serves as a node between visual-object selective areas and S1 hand representation, probably due to the critical evolutionary role of touch in object recognition and manipulation. These results might also point to a more general principle suggesting that recruitment or deactivation of the visual cortex by other sensory input depends on the ecological relevance of the information conveyed by this input to the task/computations carried out by each area or network. This is likely to rely on the unique and differential pattern of connectivity for each visual area with the rest of the brain. We studied cross-modal effects of passive somatosensory inputs on the visual cortex. Passive touch on the body evoked massive deactivation in the visual cortex. Passive hand stimulation evoked unique activation in visual object area LO. This area was also uniquely connected to the hand area in Penfield's homunculus — S1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zohar Tal
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research Israel - Canada (IMRIC), Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel.
| | - Ran Geva
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research Israel - Canada (IMRIC), Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research Israel - Canada (IMRIC), Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel; The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Science (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel; Program of Cognitive Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel
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25
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Reich L, Amedi A. 'Visual' parsing can be taught quickly without visual experience during critical periods. Sci Rep 2015; 5:15359. [PMID: 26482105 PMCID: PMC4611203 DOI: 10.1038/srep15359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cases of invasive sight-restoration in congenital blind adults demonstrated that acquiring visual abilities is extremely challenging, presumably because visual-experience during critical-periods is crucial for learning visual-unique concepts (e.g. size constancy). Visual rehabilitation can also be achieved using sensory-substitution-devices (SSDs) which convey visual information non-invasively through sounds. We tested whether one critical concept – visual parsing, which is highly-impaired in sight-restored patients – can be learned using SSD. To this end, congenitally blind adults participated in a unique, relatively short (~70 hours), SSD-‘vision’ training. Following this, participants successfully parsed 2D and 3D visual objects. Control individuals naïve to SSDs demonstrated that while some aspects of parsing with SSD are intuitive, the blind’s success could not be attributed to auditory processing alone. Furthermore, we had a unique opportunity to compare the SSD-users’ abilities to those reported for sight-restored patients who performed similar tasks visually, and who had months of eyesight. Intriguingly, the SSD-users outperformed the patients on most criteria tested. These suggest that with adequate training and technologies, key high-order visual features can be quickly acquired in adulthood, and lack of visual-experience during critical-periods can be somewhat compensated for. Practically, these highlight the potential of SSDs as standalone-aids or combined with invasive restoration approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lior Reich
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel.,The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel
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26
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Alterations of Regional Spontaneous Brain Activity and Gray Matter Volume in the Blind. Neural Plast 2015; 2015:141950. [PMID: 26568891 PMCID: PMC4629052 DOI: 10.1155/2015/141950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2014] [Revised: 03/20/2015] [Accepted: 03/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual deprivation can induce alterations of regional spontaneous brain activity (RSBA). However, the effects of onset age of blindness on the RSBA and the association between the alterations of RSBA and brain structure are still unclear in the blind. In this study, we performed resting-state functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging on 50 sighted controls and 91 blind subjects (20 congenitally blind, 27 early blind, and 44 late blind individuals). Compared with the sighted control, we identified increased RSBA in the blind in primary and high-level visual areas and decreased RSBA in brain regions which are ascribed to sensorimotor and salience networks. In contrast, blind subjects exhibited significantly decreased gray matter volume (GMV) in the visual areas, while they exhibited significantly increased GMV in the sensorimotor areas. Moreover, the onset age of blindness was negatively correlated with the GMV of visual areas in blind subjects, whereas it exerted complex influences on the RSBA. Finally, significant negative correlations were shown between RSBA and GMV values. Our results demonstrated system-dependent, inverse alterations in RSBA and GMV after visual deprivation. Furthermore, the onset age of blindness has different effects on the reorganizations in RSBA and GMV.
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Blindness alters the microstructure of the ventral but not the dorsal visual stream. Brain Struct Funct 2015; 221:2891-903. [PMID: 26134685 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1078-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2014] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Visual deprivation from birth leads to reorganisation of the brain through cross-modal plasticity. Although there is a general agreement that the primary afferent visual pathways are altered in congenitally blind individuals, our knowledge about microstructural changes within the higher-order visual streams, and how this is affected by onset of blindness, remains scant. We used diffusion tensor imaging and tractography to investigate microstructural features in the dorsal (superior longitudinal fasciculus) and ventral (inferior longitudinal and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi) visual pathways in 12 congenitally blind, 15 late blind and 15 normal sighted controls. We also studied six prematurely born individuals with normal vision to control for the effects of prematurity on brain connectivity. Our data revealed a reduction in fractional anisotropy in the ventral but not the dorsal visual stream for both congenitally and late blind individuals. Prematurely born individuals, with normal vision, did not differ from normal sighted controls, born at term. Our data suggest that although the visual streams are structurally developing without normal visual input from the eyes, blindness selectively affects the microstructure of the ventral visual stream regardless of the time of onset. We suggest that the decreased fractional anisotropy of the ventral stream in the two groups of blind subjects is the combined result of both degenerative and cross-modal compensatory processes, affecting normal white matter development.
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28
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Heine L, Bahri MA, Cavaliere C, Soddu A, Laureys S, Ptito M, Kupers R. Prevalence of increases in functional connectivity in visual, somatosensory and language areas in congenital blindness. Front Neuroanat 2015; 9:86. [PMID: 26190978 PMCID: PMC4486836 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2015.00086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
There is ample evidence that congenitally blind individuals rely more strongly on non-visual information compared to sighted controls when interacting with the outside world. Although brain imaging studies indicate that congenitally blind individuals recruit occipital areas when performing various non-visual and cognitive tasks, it remains unclear through which pathways this is accomplished. To address this question, we compared resting state functional connectivity in a group of congenital blind and matched sighted control subjects. We used a seed-based analysis with a priori specified regions-of-interest (ROIs) within visual, somato-sensory, auditory and language areas. Between-group comparisons revealed increased functional connectivity within both the ventral and the dorsal visual streams in blind participants, whereas connectivity between the two streams was reduced. In addition, our data revealed stronger functional connectivity in blind participants between the visual ROIs and areas implicated in language and tactile (Braille) processing such as the inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's area), thalamus, supramarginal gyrus and cerebellum. The observed group differences underscore the extent of the cross-modal reorganization in the brain and the supra-modal function of the occipital cortex in congenitally blind individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizette Heine
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Center and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège Liège, Belgium
| | - Mohamed A Bahri
- Cyclotron Research Centre, University of Liège Liège, Belgium
| | - Carlo Cavaliere
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Center and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège Liège, Belgium ; IRCCS SDN, Istituto di Ricerca Diagnostica e Nucleare Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Soddu
- Physics and Astronomy Department, Brain and Mind Institute, Western University London, ON, Canada
| | - Steven Laureys
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Center and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège Liège, Belgium
| | - Maurice Ptito
- Harland Sanders Chair, School of Optometry, University of Montreal Montreal, QC, Canada ; Brain Research and Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark ; Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, Psychiatric Centre Copenhagen and Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ron Kupers
- Harland Sanders Chair, School of Optometry, University of Montreal Montreal, QC, Canada ; Brain Research and Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark
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29
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Gagnon L, Ismaili ARA, Ptito M, Kupers R. Superior orthonasal but not retronasal olfactory skills in congenital blindness. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0122567. [PMID: 25822780 PMCID: PMC4379017 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2014] [Accepted: 02/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sight is undoubtedly important for finding and appreciating food, and cooking. Blind individuals are strongly impaired in finding food, limiting the variety of flavours they are exposed to. We have shown before that compared to sighted controls, congenitally blind individuals have enhanced olfactory but reduced taste perception. In this study we tested the hypothesis that congenitally blind subjects have enhanced orthonasal but not retronasal olfactory skills. Twelve congenitally blind and 14 sighted control subjects, matched in age, gender and body mass index, were asked to identify odours using grocery-available food powders. Results showed that blind subjects were significantly faster and tended to be better at identifying odours presented orthonasally. This was not the case when odorants were presented retronasally. We also found a significant group x route interaction, showing that although both groups performed better for retronasally compared to orthonasally presented odours, this gain was less pronounced for blind subjects. Finally, our data revealed that blind subjects were more familiar with the orthonasal odorants and used the retronasal odorants less often for cooking than their sighted counterparts. These results confirm that orthonasal but not retronasal olfactory perception is enhanced in congenital blindness, a result that is concordant with the reduced food variety exposure in this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Gagnon
- School of Optometry, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Brain Research and Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Abd Rahman Alaoui Ismaili
- Brain Research and Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Maurice Ptito
- School of Optometry, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Brain Research and Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, Psychiatric Centre Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ron Kupers
- School of Optometry, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Brain Research and Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- * E-mail:
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Neural correlates of taste perception in congenital blindness. Neuropsychologia 2015; 70:227-34. [PMID: 25708174 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2014] [Revised: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Sight is undoubtedly important for the perception and the assessment of the palatability of tastants. Although many studies have addressed the consequences of visual impairment on food selection, feeding behavior, eating habits and taste perception, nothing is known about the neural correlates of gustation in blindness. In the current study we examined brain responses during gustation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We scanned nine congenitally blind and 14 age- and sex-matched blindfolded sighted control subjects, matched in age, gender and body mass index (BMI), while they made judgments of either the intensity or the (un)pleasantness of different tastes (sweet, bitter) or artificial saliva that were delivered intra-orally. The fMRI data indicated that during gustation, congenitally blind individuals activate less strongly the primary taste cortex (right posterior insula and overlying Rolandic operculum) and the hypothalamus. In sharp contrast with results of multiple other sensory processing studies in congenitally blind subjects, including touch, audition and smell, the occipital cortex was not recruited during taste processing, suggesting the absence of taste-related compensatory crossmodal responses in the occipital cortex. These results underscore our earlier behavioral demonstration that congenitally blind subjects have a lower gustatory sensitivity compared to normal sighted individuals. We hypothesize that due to an underexposure to a variety of tastants, training-induced crossmodal sensory plasticity to gustatory stimulation does not occur in blind subjects.
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Abstract
Distinct preference for visual number symbols was recently discovered in the human right inferior temporal gyrus (rITG). It remains unclear how this preference emerges, what is the contribution of shape biases to its formation and whether visual processing underlies it. Here we use congenital blindness as a model for brain development without visual experience. During fMRI, we present blind subjects with shapes encoded using a novel visual-to-music sensory-substitution device (The EyeMusic). Greater activation is observed in the rITG when subjects process symbols as numbers compared with control tasks on the same symbols. Using resting-state fMRI in the blind and sighted, we further show that the areas with preference for numerals and letters exhibit distinct patterns of functional connectivity with quantity and language-processing areas, respectively. Our findings suggest that specificity in the ventral ‘visual’ stream can emerge independently of sensory modality and visual experience, under the influence of distinct connectivity patterns. The human visual cortex includes areas with preference for various object categories. Here, Abboud et al. demonstrate using visual-to-music substitution, that the congenitally blind show a similar preference for numerals in the right inferior temporal cortex as sighted individuals, despite having no visual experience.
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Kagawa T, Narita N, Iwaki S, Kawasaki S, Kamiya K, Minakuchi S. Does shape discrimination by the mouth activate the parietal and occipital lobes? - near-infrared spectroscopy study. PLoS One 2014; 9:e108685. [PMID: 25299397 PMCID: PMC4191970 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2014] [Accepted: 09/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A cross-modal association between somatosensory tactile sensation and parietal and occipital activities during Braille reading was initially discovered in tests with blind subjects, with sighted and blindfolded healthy subjects used as controls. However, the neural background of oral stereognosis remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether the parietal and occipital cortices are activated during shape discrimination by the mouth using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Following presentation of the test piece shape, a sham discrimination trial without the test pieces induced posterior parietal lobe (BA7), extrastriate cortex (BA18, BA19), and striate cortex (BA17) activation as compared with the rest session, while shape discrimination of the test pieces markedly activated those areas as compared with the rest session. Furthermore, shape discrimination of the test pieces specifically activated the posterior parietal cortex (precuneus/BA7), extrastriate cortex (BA18, 19), and striate cortex (BA17), as compared with sham sessions without a test piece. We concluded that oral tactile sensation is recognized through tactile/visual cross-modal substrates in the parietal and occipital cortices during shape discrimination by the mouth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomonori Kagawa
- Gerodontology and Oral Rehabilitation Department of Gerontology and Gerodontology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Narita
- Department of Removable Prosthodontics, Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Sunao Iwaki
- Cognition and Action Research Group, Human Technology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Aist Tsukuba Central 6, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Shingo Kawasaki
- Application Development Office, Hitachi Medical Corporation, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kazunobu Kamiya
- Department of Removable Prosthodontics, Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Minakuchi
- Gerodontology and Oral Rehabilitation Department of Gerontology and Gerodontology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
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Lazzouni L, Lepore F. Compensatory plasticity: time matters. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:340. [PMID: 24971056 PMCID: PMC4054015 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2014] [Accepted: 05/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasticity in the human and animal brain is the rule, the base for development, and the way to deal effectively with the environment for making the most efficient use of all the senses. When the brain is deprived of one sensory modality, plasticity becomes compensatory: the exception that invalidates the general loss hypothesis giving the opportunity of effective change. Sensory deprivation comes with massive alterations in brain structure and function, behavioral outcomes, and neural interactions. Blind individuals do as good as the sighted and even more, show superior abilities in auditory, tactile and olfactory processing. This behavioral enhancement is accompanied with changes in occipital cortex function, where visual areas at different levels become responsive to non-visual information. The intact senses are in general used more efficiently in the blind but are also used more exclusively. New findings are disentangling these two aspects of compensatory plasticity. What is due to visual deprivation and what is dependent on the extended use of spared modalities? The latter seems to contribute highly to compensatory changes in the congenitally blind. Short-term deprivation through the use of blindfolds shows that cortical excitability of the visual cortex is likely to show rapid modulatory changes after few minutes of light deprivation and therefore changes are possible in adulthood. However, reorganization remains more pronounced in the congenitally blind. Cortico-cortical pathways between visual areas and the areas of preserved sensory modalities are inhibited in the presence of vision, but are unmasked after loss of vision or blindfolding as a mechanism likely to drive cross-modal information to the deafferented visual cortex. The development of specialized higher order visual pathways independently from early sensory experience is likely to preserve their function and switch to the intact modalities. Plasticity in the blind is also accompanied with neurochemical and morphological changes; both intrinsic connectivity and functional coupling at rest are altered but are likewise dependent on different sensory experience and training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Latifa Lazzouni
- Département de Psychologie, Centre de Recherche en Neuropsychologie et Cognition, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Franco Lepore
- Département de Psychologie, Centre de Recherche en Neuropsychologie et Cognition, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
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Lee VK, Nau AC, Laymon C, Chan KC, Rosario BL, Fisher C. Successful tactile based visual sensory substitution use functions independently of visual pathway integrity. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:291. [PMID: 24860473 PMCID: PMC4026734 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2014] [Accepted: 04/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Neuronal reorganization after blindness is of critical interest because it has implications for the rational prescription of artificial vision devices. The purpose of this study was to distinguish the microstructural differences between perinatally blind (PB), acquired blind (AB), and normally sighted controls (SCs) and relate these differences to performance on functional tasks using a sensory substitution device (BrainPort). METHODS We enrolled 52 subjects (PB n = 11; AB n = 35; SC n = 6). All subjects spent 15 h undergoing BrainPort device training. Outcomes of light perception, motion, direction, temporal resolution, grating, and acuity were tested at baseline and after training. Twenty-six of the subjects were scanned with a three Tesla MRI scanner for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and with a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner for mapping regional brain glucose consumption during sensory substitution function. Non-parametric models were used to analyze fractional anisotropy (FA; a DTI measure of microstructural integrity) of the brain via region-of-interest (ROI) analysis and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). RESULTS At baseline, all subjects performed all tasks at chance level. After training, light perception, time resolution, location and grating acuity tasks improved significantly for all subject groups. ROI and TBSS analyses of FA maps show areas of statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.025) in the bilateral optic radiations and some visual association connections between all three groups. No relationship was found between FA and functional performance with the BrainPort. DISCUSSION All subjects showed performance improvements using the BrainPort irrespective of nature and duration of blindness. Definite brain areas with significant microstructural integrity changes exist among PB, AB, and NC, and these variations are most pronounced in the visual pathways. However, the use of sensory substitution devices is feasible irrespective of microstructural integrity of the primary visual pathways between the eye and the brain. Therefore, tongue based devices devices may be usable for a broad array of non-sighted patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent K Lee
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Amy C Nau
- Sensory Substitution Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, Eye and Ear Institute, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Department of Ophthalmology, Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Charles Laymon
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Kevin C Chan
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Department of Ophthalmology, Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh-Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Bedda L Rosario
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Chris Fisher
- Sensory Substitution Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, Eye and Ear Institute, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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35
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Mind the blind brain to understand the sighted one! Is there a supramodal cortical functional architecture? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 41:64-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2013] [Revised: 08/13/2013] [Accepted: 10/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Qin W, Xuan Y, Liu Y, Jiang T, Yu C. Functional Connectivity Density in Congenitally and Late Blind Subjects. Cereb Cortex 2014; 25:2507-16. [PMID: 24642421 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual deprivation during different developmental periods leads to different structural and functional alterations in the brain; however, the effects of visual deprivation on the spontaneous functional organization of the brain remain largely unknown. In this study, we used voxel-based functional connectivity density (FCD) analyses to investigate the effects of visual deprivation during different developmental periods on the spontaneous functional organization of the brain. Compared with the sighted controls (SC), both the congenitally blind (CB) and the late blind (LB) exhibited decreased short- and long-range FCDs in the primary visual cortex (V1) and decreased long-range FCDs in the primary somatosensory and auditory cortices. Although both the CB and LB exhibited increased short-range FCD in the dorsal visual stream, the CB exhibited greater increases in the short- and long-range FCDs in the ventral visual stream and hippocampal complex compared with the LB. Moreover, the short-range FCD of the left V1 exhibited a significant positive correlation with the duration of blindness in the LB. Our findings suggest that visual deprivation before the developmental sensitive period can induce more extensive brain functional reorganization than does visual deprivation after the sensitive period, which may underlie an enhanced capacity for processing nonvisual information in the CB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Qin
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging
| | - Yun Xuan
- Department of Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Yong Liu
- Brainnetome Center, Institute of Automation, National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Tianzi Jiang
- Brainnetome Center, Institute of Automation, National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Chunshui Yu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging
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Meaidi A, Jennum P, Ptito M, Kupers R. The sensory construction of dreams and nightmare frequency in congenitally blind and late blind individuals. Sleep Med 2014; 15:586-95. [PMID: 24709309 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2013.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2013] [Revised: 11/28/2013] [Accepted: 12/11/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We aimed to assess dream content in groups of congenitally blind (CB), late blind (LB), and age- and sex-matched sighted control (SC) participants. METHODS We conducted an observational study of 11 CB, 14 LB, and 25 SC participants and collected dream reports over a 4-week period. Every morning participants filled in a questionnaire related to the sensory construction of the dream, its emotional and thematic content, and the possible occurrence of nightmares. We also assessed participants' ability of visual imagery during waking cognition, sleep quality, and depression and anxiety levels. RESULTS All blind participants had fewer visual dream impressions compared to SC participants. In LB participants, duration of blindness was negatively correlated with duration, clarity, and color content of visual dream impressions. CB participants reported more auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory dream components compared to SC participants. In contrast, LB participants only reported more tactile dream impressions. Blind and SC participants did not differ with respect to emotional and thematic dream content. However, CB participants reported more aggressive interactions and more nightmares compared to the other two groups. CONCLUSIONS Our data show that blindness considerably alters the sensory composition of dreams and that onset and duration of blindness plays an important role. The increased occurrence of nightmares in CB participants may be related to a higher number of threatening experiences in daily life in this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amani Meaidi
- BRAINlab, Department of Neuroscience & Pharmacology, Panum Institute, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Danish Center for Sleep Medicine, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Faculty of Health, Glostrup Hospital, Glostrup, Denmark
| | - Poul Jennum
- Danish Center for Sleep Medicine, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Faculty of Health, Glostrup Hospital, Glostrup, Denmark
| | - Maurice Ptito
- BRAINlab, Department of Neuroscience & Pharmacology, Panum Institute, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience & Pharmacology, Panum Institute, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ron Kupers
- BRAINlab, Department of Neuroscience & Pharmacology, Panum Institute, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience & Pharmacology, Panum Institute, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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38
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Ioannides AA, Liu L, Poghosyan V, Saridis GA, Gjedde A, Ptito M, Kupers R. MEG reveals a fast pathway from somatosensory cortex to occipital areas via posterior parietal cortex in a blind subject. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:429. [PMID: 23935576 PMCID: PMC3733019 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 07/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cross-modal activity in visual cortex of blind subjects has been reported during performance of variety of non-visual tasks. A key unanswered question is through which pathways non-visual inputs are funneled to the visual cortex. Here we used tomographic analysis of single trial magnetoencephalography (MEG) data recorded from one congenitally blind and two sighted subjects after stimulation of the left and right median nerves at three intensities: below sensory threshold, above sensory threshold and above motor threshold; the last sufficient to produce thumb twitching. We identified reproducible brain responses in the primary somatosensory (S1) and motor (M1) cortices at around 20 ms post-stimulus, which were very similar in sighted and blind subjects. Time-frequency analysis revealed strong 45-70 Hz activity at latencies of 20-50 ms in S1 and M1, and posterior parietal cortex Brodmann areas (BA) 7 and 40, which compared to lower frequencies, were substantially more pronounced in the blind than the sighted subjects. Critically, at frequencies from α-band up to 100 Hz we found clear, strong, and widespread responses in the visual cortex of the blind subject, which increased with the intensity of the somatosensory stimuli. Time-delayed mutual information (MI) revealed that in blind subject the stimulus information is funneled from the early somatosensory to visual cortex through posterior parietal BA 7 and 40, projecting first to visual areas V5 and V3, and eventually V1. The flow of information through this pathway occurred in stages characterized by convergence of activations into specific cortical regions. In sighted subjects, no linked activity was found that led from the somatosensory to the visual cortex through any of the studied brain regions. These results provide the first evidence from MEG that in blind subjects, tactile information is routed from primary somatosensory to occipital cortex via the posterior parietal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas A Ioannides
- Laboratory for Human Brain Dynamics, AAI Scientific Cultural Services Ltd. Nicosia, Cyprus
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Nau A, Bach M, Fisher C. Clinical Tests of Ultra-Low Vision Used to Evaluate Rudimentary Visual Perceptions Enabled by the BrainPort Vision Device. Transl Vis Sci Technol 2013; 2:1. [PMID: 24049716 DOI: 10.1167/tvst.2.3.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2012] [Accepted: 02/10/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE We evaluated whether existing ultra-low vision tests are suitable for measuring outcomes using sensory substitution. The BrainPort is a vision assist device coupling a live video feed with an electrotactile tongue display, allowing a user to gain information about their surroundings. METHODS We enrolled 30 adult subjects (age range 22-74) divided into two groups. Our blind group included 24 subjects (n = 16 males and n = 8 females, average age 50) with light perception or worse vision. Our control group consisted of six subjects (n = 3 males, n = 3 females, average age 43) with healthy ocular status. All subjects performed 11 computer-based psychophysical tests from three programs: Basic Assessment of Light Motion, Basic Assessment of Grating Acuity, and the Freiburg Vision Test as well as a modified Tangent Screen. Assessments were performed at baseline and again using the BrainPort after 15 hours of training. RESULTS Most tests could be used with the BrainPort. Mean success scores increased for all of our tests except contrast sensitivity. Increases were statistically significant for tests of light perception (8.27 ± 3.95 SE), time resolution (61.4% ± 3.14 SE), light localization (44.57% ± 3.58 SE), grating orientation (70.27% ± 4.64 SE), and white Tumbling E on a black background (2.49 logMAR ± 0.39 SE). Motion tests were limited by BrainPort resolution. CONCLUSIONS Tactile-based sensory substitution devices are amenable to psychophysical assessments of vision, even though traditional visual pathways are circumvented. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE This study is one of many that will need to be undertaken to achieve a common outcomes infrastructure for the field of artificial vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Nau
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
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40
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Neural pathways conveying novisual information to the visual cortex. Neural Plast 2013; 2013:864920. [PMID: 23840972 PMCID: PMC3690246 DOI: 10.1155/2013/864920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2013] [Accepted: 05/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The visual cortex has been traditionally considered as a stimulus-driven, unimodal system with a hierarchical organization. However, recent animal and human studies have shown that the visual cortex responds to non-visual stimuli, especially in individuals with visual deprivation congenitally, indicating the supramodal nature of the functional representation in the visual cortex. To understand the neural substrates of the cross-modal processing of the non-visual signals in the visual cortex, we firstly showed the supramodal nature of the visual cortex. We then reviewed how the nonvisual signals reach the visual cortex. Moreover, we discussed if these non-visual pathways are reshaped by early visual deprivation. Finally, the open question about the nature (stimulus-driven or top-down) of non-visual signals is also discussed.
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41
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Shape-specific activation of occipital cortex in an early blind echolocation expert. Neuropsychologia 2013; 51:938-49. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2012] [Revised: 01/21/2013] [Accepted: 01/27/2013] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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42
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Renier L, De Volder AG, Rauschecker JP. Cortical plasticity and preserved function in early blindness. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 41:53-63. [PMID: 23453908 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2012] [Revised: 01/09/2013] [Accepted: 01/28/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The "neural Darwinism" theory predicts that when one sensory modality is lacking, as in congenital blindness, the target structures are taken over by the afferent inputs from other senses that will promote and control their functional maturation (Edelman, 1993). This view receives support from both cross-modal plasticity experiments in animal models and functional imaging studies in man, which are presented here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Renier
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Avenue Hippocrate, 54, UCL-B1.5409, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Anne G De Volder
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Avenue Hippocrate, 54, UCL-B1.5409, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Josef P Rauschecker
- Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition; Department of Neuroscience; Georgetown University, Medical Center; 3970 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA
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43
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Silverstein SM, Wang Y, Keane BP. Cognitive and neuroplasticity mechanisms by which congenital or early blindness may confer a protective effect against schizophrenia. Front Psychol 2013; 3:624. [PMID: 23349646 PMCID: PMC3552473 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2012] [Accepted: 12/31/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Several authors have noted that there are no reported cases of people with schizophrenia who were born blind or who developed blindness shortly after birth, suggesting that congenital or early (C/E) blindness may serve as a protective factor against schizophrenia. By what mechanisms might this effect operate? Here, we hypothesize that C/E blindness offers protection by strengthening cognitive functions whose impairment characterizes schizophrenia, and by constraining cognitive processes that exhibit excessive flexibility in schizophrenia. After briefly summarizing evidence that schizophrenia is fundamentally a cognitive disorder, we review areas of perceptual and cognitive function that are both impaired in the illness and augmented in C/E blindness, as compared to healthy sighted individuals. We next discuss: (1) the role of neuroplasticity in driving these cognitive changes in C/E blindness; (2) evidence that C/E blindness does not confer protective effects against other mental disorders; and (3) evidence that other forms of C/E sensory loss (e.g., deafness) do not reduce the risk of schizophrenia. We conclude by discussing implications of these data for designing cognitive training interventions to reduce schizophrenia-related cognitive impairment, and perhaps to reduce the likelihood of the development of the disorder itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven M. Silverstein
- University Behavioral HealthCare, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New JerseyPiscataway, NJ, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolPiscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Yushi Wang
- University Behavioral HealthCare, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New JerseyPiscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Brian P. Keane
- University Behavioral HealthCare, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New JerseyPiscataway, NJ, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolPiscataway, NJ, USA
- Rutgers University Center for Cognitive SciencePiscataway, NJ, USA
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