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Contemori G, Maniglia M, Guénot J, Soler V, Cherubini M, Cottereau BR, Trotter Y. tRNS boosts visual perceptual learning in participants with bilateral macular degeneration. Front Aging Neurosci 2024; 16:1326435. [PMID: 38450381 PMCID: PMC10914974 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1326435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Perceptual learning (PL) has shown promise in enhancing residual visual functions in patients with age-related macular degeneration (MD), however it requires prolonged training and evidence of generalization to untrained visual functions is limited. Recent studies suggest that combining transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) with perceptual learning produces faster and larger visual improvements in participants with normal vision. Thus, this approach might hold the key to improve PL effects in MD. To test this, we trained two groups of MD participants on a contrast detection task with (n = 5) or without (n = 7) concomitant occipital tRNS. The training consisted of a lateral masking paradigm in which the participant had to detect a central low contrast Gabor target. Transfer tasks, including contrast sensitivity, near and far visual acuity, and visual crowding, were measured at pre-, mid and post-tests. Combining tRNS and perceptual learning led to greater improvements in the trained task, evidenced by a larger increment in contrast sensitivity and reduced inhibition at the shortest target to flankers' distance. The overall amount of transfer was similar between the two groups. These results suggest that coupling tRNS and perceptual learning has promising potential applications as a clinical rehabilitation strategy to improve vision in MD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Contemori
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Marcello Maniglia
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Jade Guénot
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Toulouse, France
| | - Vincent Soler
- Service d’Ophtalmologie Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Marta Cherubini
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Toulouse, France
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Benoit R. Cottereau
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Toulouse, France
| | - Yves Trotter
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Toulouse, France
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2
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He Q, Zhu X, Fang F. Enhancing visual perceptual learning using transcranial electrical stimulation: Transcranial alternating current stimulation outperforms both transcranial direct current and random noise stimulation. J Vis 2023; 23:2. [PMID: 38054934 PMCID: PMC10702794 DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.14.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Diverse strategies can be employed to enhance visual skills, including visual perceptual learning (VPL) and transcranial electrical stimulation (tES). Combining VPL and tES is a popular method that holds promise for producing significant improvements in visual acuity within a short time frame. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive evaluation regarding the effects of combining different types of tES and VPL on enhancing visual function, especially with a larger sample size. In the present study, we recruited four groups of subjects (26 subjects each) to learn an orientation discrimination task with five daily training sessions. During training, the occipital region of each subject was stimulated by one type of tES-anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 10 Hz, high-frequency random noise stimulation (tRNS), and sham tACS-while the subject performed the training task. We found that, compared with the sham stimulation, both the high-frequency tRNS and the 10-Hz tACS facilitated VPL efficiently in terms of learning rate and performance improvement, but there was little modulatory effect in the anodal tDCS condition. Remarkably, the 10-Hz tACS condition exhibited superior modulatory effects compared with the tRNS condition, demonstrating the strongest modulation among the most commonly used tES types for further enhancing vision when combined with VPL. Our results suggest that alpha oscillations play a vital role in VPL. Our study provides a practical guide for vision rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing He
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Machine Perception, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinyi Zhu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Machine Perception, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Fang Fang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Machine Perception, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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He Y, Feng L, Zhou Y, Zhuang Y, Xu Z, Yao Y, Chen X, Jiang R, Yuan J, Ye Q, Wen Y, Jia Y, Liu J, Li J. Characteristics and predictive factors of visual function improvements after monocular perceptual learning in amblyopia. Heliyon 2023; 9:e17281. [PMID: 37416659 PMCID: PMC10320034 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Monocular perceptual learning has shown promising performance in restoring visual function in amblyopes beyond the critical period in the laboratory. However, the treatment outcome is variable and indeterminate in actual clinical and neuroscientific practice. We aimed to explore the efficacy of monocular perceptual learning in the clinical setting. By combining continuous monitoring of perceptual learning and clinical measurements, we evaluated the efficacy and characteristics of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity function improvement and further explored the individualized effect after perceptual learning. Amblyopes (average age:17 ± 7 years old) were trained in a monocular two-alternative forced choice identification task at the 50% contrast threshold of the amblyopic eye for 10-15 days. We found that monocular perceptual learning improves both visual acuity and contrast sensitivity function in amblyopia. The broader activation of spatial contrast sensitivity, with a significant improvement in lower spatial frequencies, contributed to improving visual acuity. Visual acuity changes in the early stage can predict the endpoint treatment outcomes. Our results confirm the efficacy of monocular perceptual learning and suggest potential predictors of training outcomes to assist in the future management of clinical intervention and vision neuroscience research in amblyopia beyond the critical period of visual plasticity.
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Contò F, Tyler S, Paletta P, Battelli L. The role of the parietal lobe in task-irrelevant suppression during learning. Brain Stimul 2023; 16:715-723. [PMID: 37062348 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Attention optimizes the selection of visual information, while suppressing irrelevant visual input through cortical mechanisms that are still unclear. We set to investigate these processes using an attention task with an embedded to-be-ignored interfering visual input. OBJECTIVE We delivered electrical stimulation to attention-related brain areas to modulate these facilitatory/inhibitory attentional mechanisms. We asked whether overtly training on a task while being covertly exposed to visual features from a visually identical but different task tested at baseline might influence post-training performance on the baseline task. METHODS In Experiment one, at baseline subjects performed an orientation discrimination (OD) task using a pair of gratings presented at individual's psychophysical threshold. We then trained participants over three-day separate sessions on a temporal order judgment task (TOJ), using the exact same gratings but presented with different time offsets. On the last post-training session we re-tested OD. We coupled training with transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) over the parietal cortex, the human middle temporal area or sham, in three separate groups. In Experiment two, subjects performed the same OD task at baseline and post-training, while tRNS was delivered at rest during the same sessions and stimulation conditions as in Experiment one. RESULTS Results showed that tRNS over parietal cortex facilitated learning of the trained TOJ task. Moreover, we found a detrimental effect on the untrained OD task when subjects received parietal tRNS coupled with training (Experiment one), but a benefit on OD when subjects received stimulation while at rest (Experiment two). CONCLUSIONS These results clearly indicate that task-irrelevant information is actively suppressed during learning, and that this prioritization mechanism of selection likely resides in the parietal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Contò
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Corso Bettini 31, 38068, Rovereto (TN), Italy.
| | - S Tyler
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Corso Bettini 31, 38068, Rovereto (TN), Italy; Butte College, Oroville, CA, 95965, USA
| | - P Paletta
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Corso Bettini 31, 38068, Rovereto (TN), Italy
| | - L Battelli
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Corso Bettini 31, 38068, Rovereto (TN), Italy; Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA; Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 01238, USA.
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Sethi A, Pascual-Leone A, Santarnecchi E, Almalki G, Krishnan C. Transcranial random noise stimulation to augment hand function in individuals with moderate-to-severe stroke: A pilot randomized clinical trial. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2023; 41:193-202. [PMID: 38306067 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-231314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Background Interventions to recover upper extremity (UE) function after moderate-to-severe stroke are limited. Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) is an emerging non-invasive technique to improve neuronal plasticity and may potentially augment functional outcomes when combined with existing interventions, such as functional electrical stimulation (FES). Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of combined tRNS and FES-facilitated task practice to improve UE impairment and function after moderate-to-severe stroke. Methods Fourteen individuals with UE weakness were randomized into one of two groups: 1) tRNS with FES-facilitated task practice, or 2) sham-tRNS with FES-facilitated task practice. Both groups involved 18 intervention sessions (3 per week for 6 weeks). tRNS was delivered at 2 mA current between 100-500 Hz for the first 30 minutes of FES-facilitated task practice. We evaluated the number of sessions completed, adverse effects, participant satisfaction, and intervention fidelity between the two therapists. UE impairment (Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity, FMUE), function (Wolf Motor Function Test, WMFT), participation (Stroke Impact Scale hand score, SIS-H), and grip strength were assessed at baseline, within 1 week and 3 months after completing the intervention. Results All participants completed the 18 intervention sessions. Participants reported minimal adverse effects (mild tingling in head). The two trained therapists demonstrated 93% adherence and 96% competency with the intervention protocol. FMUE and SIS-H improved significantly more in the tRNS group than in the sham-tRNS group at both timepoints (p≤0.05), and the differences observed exceeded the clinically meaningful differences for these scores. The WMFT and paretic hand grip strength improved in both groups after the intervention (p≤0.05), with no significant between group differences. Conclusion Our findings show for the first time that combining tRNS and FES-facilitated task practice is a feasible and promising approach to improve UE impairment and function after moderate-to-severe stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Sethi
- Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA, USA
- Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew Senior Life, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emiliano Santarnecchi
- Precision Neuroscience & Neuromodulation Program, Network Control Laboratory, Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ghaleb Almalki
- Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Chandramouli Krishnan
- Director of NeuRRo Lab, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Robotics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Michigan, Flint, MI, USA
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Chen X, Hall K, Bobier WR, Thompson B, Chakraborty A. Transcranial random noise stimulation and exercise do not modulate ocular dominance plasticity in adults with normal vision. J Vis 2022; 22:14. [PMID: 36107124 PMCID: PMC9483237 DOI: 10.1167/jov.22.10.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxin Chen
- School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Kennedy Hall
- Chicago College of Optometry, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA
| | - William R. Bobier
- School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Benjamin Thompson
- School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Centre for Eye and Vision Research, 17W Science Park, Hong Kong
- Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Arijit Chakraborty
- School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Chicago College of Optometry, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA
- College of Health Sciences, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA
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Wu D, Wang Y, Liu N, Wang P, Sun K, Xiao W. High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation of the left middle temporal complex does not affect visual motion perception learning. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:988590. [PMID: 36117616 PMCID: PMC9474993 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.988590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual perceptual learning (VPL) refers to the improvement in visual perceptual abilities through training and has potential implications for clinical populations. However, improvements in perceptual learning often require hundreds or thousands of trials over weeks to months to attain, limiting its practical application. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could potentially facilitate perceptual learning, but the results are inconsistent thus far. Thus, this research investigated the effect of tDCS over the left human middle temporal complex (hMT+) on learning to discriminate visual motion direction. Twenty-seven participants were randomly assigned to the anodal, cathodal and sham tDCS groups. Before and after training, the thresholds of motion direction discrimination were assessed in one trained condition and three untrained conditions. Participants were trained over 5 consecutive days while receiving 4 × 1 ring high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) over the left hMT+. The results showed that the threshold of motion direction discrimination significantly decreased after training. However, no obvious differences in the indicators of perceptual learning, such as the magnitude of improvement, transfer indexes, and learning curves, were noted among the three groups. The current study did not provide evidence of a beneficial effect of tDCS on VPL. Further research should explore the impact of the learning task characteristics, number of training sessions and the sequence of stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Wu
- Department of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yifan Wang
- Department of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Na Liu
- Department of Nursing, Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Panhui Wang
- Department of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Kewei Sun
- Department of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Wei Xiao
- Department of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China
- *Correspondence: Wei Xiao,
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Battaglini L, Di Ponzio M, Ghiani A, Mena F, Santacesaria P, Casco C. Vision recovery with perceptual learning and non-invasive brain stimulation: Experimental set-ups and recent results, a review of the literature. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2022; 40:137-168. [PMID: 35964213 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-221261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vision is the sense which we rely on the most to interact with the environment and its integrity is fundamental for the quality of our life. However, around the globe, more than 1 billion people are affected by debilitating vision deficits. Therefore, finding a way to treat (or mitigate) them successfully is necessary. OBJECTIVE This narrative review aims to examine options for innovative treatment of visual disorders (retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, optic neuropathy, refractory disorders, hemianopia, amblyopia), especially with Perceptual Learning (PL) and Electrical Stimulation (ES). METHODS ES and PL can enhance visual abilities in clinical populations, inducing plastic changes. We describe the experimental set-ups and discuss the results of studies using ES or PL or their combination in order to suggest, based on literature, which treatment is the best option for each clinical condition. RESULTS Positive results were obtained using ES and PL to enhance visual functions. For example, repetitive transorbital Alternating Current Stimulation (rtACS) appeared as the most effective treatment for pre-chiasmatic disorders such as optic neuropathy. A combination of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and visual training seems helpful for people with hemianopia, while transcranial Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS) makes visual training more efficient in people with amblyopia and mild myopia. CONCLUSIONS This narrative review highlights the effect of different ES montages and PL in the treatment of visual disorders. Furthermore, new options for treatment are suggested. It is noteworthy to mention that, in some cases, unclear results emerged and others need to be more deeply investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Battaglini
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy.,Centro di Ateneo dei Servizi Clinici Universitari Psicologici (SCUP), University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Neuro.Vis.U.S, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Michele Di Ponzio
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy.,Istituto di Neuroscienze, Florence, Italy
| | - Andrea Ghiani
- Department of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Federica Mena
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy
| | | | - Clara Casco
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy.,Centro di Ateneo dei Servizi Clinici Universitari Psicologici (SCUP), University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Neuro.Vis.U.S, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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Using noise for the better: The effects of transcranial random noise stimulation on the brain and behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 138:104702. [PMID: 35595071 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Van der Groen, O., Potok, W., Wenderoth, N., Edwards, G., Mattingley, J.B. and Edwards, D. Using noise for the better: The effects of transcranial random noise stimulation on the brain and behavior. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV X (X) XXX-XXX 2021.- Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) is a non-invasive electrical brain stimulation method that is increasingly employed in studies of human brain function and behavior, in health and disease. tRNS is effective in modulating perception acutely and can improve learning. By contrast, its effectiveness for modulating higher cognitive processes is variable. Prolonged stimulation with tRNS, either as one longer application, or multiple shorter applications, may engage plasticity mechanisms that can result in long-term benefits. Here we provide an overview of the current understanding of the effects of tRNS on the brain and behavior and provide some specific recommendations for future research.
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Perspectives on the Combined Use of Electric Brain Stimulation and Perceptual Learning in Vision. Vision (Basel) 2022; 6:vision6020033. [PMID: 35737420 PMCID: PMC9227313 DOI: 10.3390/vision6020033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of literature offers exciting perspectives on the use of brain stimulation to boost training-related perceptual improvements in humans. Recent studies suggest that combining visual perceptual learning (VPL) training with concomitant transcranial electric stimulation (tES) leads to learning rate and generalization effects larger than each technique used individually. Both VPL and tES have been used to induce neural plasticity in brain regions involved in visual perception, leading to long-lasting visual function improvements. Despite being more than a century old, only recently have these techniques been combined in the same paradigm to further improve visual performance in humans. Nonetheless, promising evidence in healthy participants and in clinical population suggests that the best could still be yet to come for the combined use of VPL and tES. In the first part of this perspective piece, we briefly discuss the history, the characteristics, the results and the possible mechanisms behind each technique and their combined effect. In the second part, we discuss relevant aspects concerning the use of these techniques and propose a perspective concerning the combined use of electric brain stimulation and perceptual learning in the visual system, closing with some open questions on the topic.
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Donato R, Pavan A, Cavallin G, Ballan L, Betteto L, Nucci M, Campana G. Mechanisms Underlying Directional Motion Processing and Form-Motion Integration Assessed with Visual Perceptual Learning. Vision (Basel) 2022; 6:vision6020029. [PMID: 35737415 PMCID: PMC9229663 DOI: 10.3390/vision6020029] [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: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamic Glass patterns (GPs) are visual stimuli commonly employed to study form–motion interactions. There is brain imaging evidence that non-directional motion induced by dynamic GPs and directional motion induced by random dot kinematograms (RDKs) depend on the activity of the human motion complex (hMT+). However, whether dynamic GPs and RDKs rely on the same processing mechanisms is still up for dispute. The current study uses a visual perceptual learning (VPL) paradigm to try to answer this question. Identical pre- and post-tests were given to two groups of participants, who had to discriminate random/noisy patterns from coherent form (dynamic GPs) and motion (RDKs). Subsequently, one group was trained on dynamic translational GPs, whereas the other group on RDKs. On the one hand, the generalization of learning to the non-trained stimulus would indicate that the same mechanisms are involved in the processing of both dynamic GPs and RDKs. On the other hand, learning specificity would indicate that the two stimuli are likely to be processed by separate mechanisms possibly in the same cortical network. The results showed that VPL is specific to the stimulus trained, suggesting that directional and non-directional motion may depend on different neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Donato
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy; (L.B.); (M.N.); (G.C.)
- Human Inspired Technology Research Centre, University of Padova, Via Luzzati 4, 35121 Padova, Italy;
- Proaction Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Colégio de Jesus, Rua Inácio Duarte 65, 3000-481 Coimbra, Portugal
- CINEICC, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Rua Colégio Novo, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal
- Correspondence: (R.D.); (A.P.)
| | - Andrea Pavan
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat, 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy
- Correspondence: (R.D.); (A.P.)
| | - Giovanni Cavallin
- Dipartimento di Matematica, University of Padova, Via Trieste 63, 35121 Padova, Italy;
| | - Lamberto Ballan
- Human Inspired Technology Research Centre, University of Padova, Via Luzzati 4, 35121 Padova, Italy;
- Dipartimento di Matematica, University of Padova, Via Trieste 63, 35121 Padova, Italy;
| | - Luca Betteto
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy; (L.B.); (M.N.); (G.C.)
| | - Massimo Nucci
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy; (L.B.); (M.N.); (G.C.)
- Human Inspired Technology Research Centre, University of Padova, Via Luzzati 4, 35121 Padova, Italy;
| | - Gianluca Campana
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy; (L.B.); (M.N.); (G.C.)
- Human Inspired Technology Research Centre, University of Padova, Via Luzzati 4, 35121 Padova, Italy;
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12
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Boosting visual perceptual learning by transcranial alternating current stimulation over the visual cortex at alpha frequency. Brain Stimul 2022; 15:546-553. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2022.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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13
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Yu D. Training peripheral vision to read: Using stimulus exposure and identity priming. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:916447. [PMID: 36090292 PMCID: PMC9451508 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.916447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading in the periphery can be improved with perceptual learning. A conventional training paradigm involves repeated practice on a character-based task (e.g., recognizing random letters/words). While the training is effective, the hours of strenuous effort required from the trainees makes it difficult to implement the training in low-vision patients. Here, we developed a training paradigm utilizing stimulus exposure and identity priming to minimize training effort and improve training accessibility while maintaining the active engagement of observers through a stimulus visibility task. Twenty-one normally sighted young adults were randomly assigned to three groups: a control group, a with-repetition training group, and a without-repetition training group. All observers received a pre-test and a post-test scheduled 1 week apart. Each test consisted of measurements of reading speed, visual-span profile, the spatial extent of crowding, and isolated-letter profiles at 10° eccentricity in the lower visual field. Training consists of five daily sessions (a total of 7,150 trials) of viewing trigram stimuli (strings of three letters) with identity priming (prior knowledge of target letter identity). The with-repetition group was given the option to replay each stimulus (averaged 0.4 times). In comparison to the control group, both training groups showed significant improvements in all four performance measures. Stimulus replay did not yield a measurable benefit on learning. Learning transferred to various untrained tasks and conditions, such as the reading task and untrained letter size. Reduction in crowding was the main basis of the training-related improvement in reading. We also found that the learning can be partially retained for a minimum of 3 months and that complete retention is attainable with additional monthly training. Our findings suggest that conventional training task that requires recognizing random letters or words is dispensable for improving peripheral reading. Utilizing stimulus exposure and identity priming accompanied by a stimulus visibility task, our novel training procedure offers effective intervention, simple implementation, capability for remote and self-administration, and an easy translation into low-vision reading rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deyue Yu
- College of Optometry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
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14
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Saionz EL, Busza A, Huxlin KR. Rehabilitation of visual perception in cortical blindness. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2022; 184:357-373. [PMID: 35034749 PMCID: PMC9682408 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-819410-2.00030-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Blindness is a common sequela after stroke affecting the primary visual cortex, presenting as a contralesional, homonymous, visual field cut. This can occur unilaterally or, less commonly, bilaterally. While it has been widely assumed that after a brief period of spontaneous improvement, vision loss becomes stable and permanent, accumulating data show that visual training can recover some of the vision loss, even long after the stroke. Here, we review the different approaches to rehabilitation employed in adult-onset cortical blindness (CB), focusing on visual restoration methods. Most of this work was conducted in chronic stroke patients, partially restoring visual discrimination and luminance detection. However, to achieve this, patients had to train for extended periods (usually many months), and the vision restored was not entirely normal. Several adjuvants to training such as noninvasive, transcranial brain stimulation, and pharmacology are starting to be investigated for their potential to increase the efficacy of training in CB patients. However, these approaches are still exploratory and require considerably more research before being adopted. Nonetheless, having established that the adult visual system retains the capacity for restorative plasticity, attention recently turned toward the subacute poststroke period. Drawing inspiration from sensorimotor stroke rehabilitation, visual training was recently attempted for the first time in subacute poststroke patients. It improved vision faster, over larger portions of the blind field, and for a larger number of visual discrimination abilities than identical training initiated more than 6 months poststroke (i.e., in the chronic period). In conclusion, evidence now suggests that visual neuroplasticity after occipital stroke can be reliably recruited by a range of visual training approaches. In addition, it appears that poststroke visual plasticity is dynamic, with a critical window of opportunity in the early postdamage period to attain more rapid, more extensive recovery of a larger set of visual perceptual abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth L Saionz
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Ania Busza
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Krystel R Huxlin
- Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States.
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15
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Brunelin J, Mondino M, Haesebaert J, Attal J, Benoit M, Chupin M, Dollfus S, El-Hage W, Galvao F, Jardri R, Llorca PM, Magaud L, Plaze M, Schott-Pethelaz AM, Suaud-Chagny MF, Szekely D, Fakra E, Poulet E. Examining transcranial random noise stimulation as an add-on treatment for persistent symptoms in schizophrenia (STIM'Zo): a study protocol for a multicentre, double-blind, randomized sham-controlled clinical trial. Trials 2021; 22:964. [PMID: 34963486 PMCID: PMC8715588 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-021-05928-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background One out of three patients with schizophrenia failed to respond adequately to antipsychotics and continue to experience debilitating symptoms such as auditory hallucinations and negative symptoms. The development of additional therapeutic approaches for these persistent symptoms constitutes a major goal for patients. Here, we develop a randomized-controlled trial testing the efficacy of high-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (hf-tRNS) for the treatment of resistant/persistent symptoms of schizophrenia in patients with various profiles of symptoms, cognitive deficits and illness duration. We also aim to investigate the biological and cognitive effects of hf-tRNS and to identify the predictors of clinical response. Methods In a randomized, double-blind, 2-arm parallel-group, controlled, multicentre study, 144 patients with schizophrenia and persistent symptoms despite the prescription of at least one antipsychotic treatment will be randomly allocated to receive either active (n = 72) or sham (n = 72) hf-tRNS. hf-tRNS (100–500 Hz) will be delivered for 20 min with a current intensity of 2 mA and a 1-mA offset twice a day on 5 consecutive weekdays. The anode will be placed over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the cathode over the left temporoparietal junction. Patients’ symptoms will be assessed prior to hf-tRNS (baseline), after the 10 sessions, and at 1-, 3- and 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome will be the number of responders defined as a reduction of at least 25% from the baseline scores on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) after the 10 sessions. Secondary outcomes will include brain activity and connectivity, source monitoring performances, social cognition, other clinical (including auditory hallucinations) and biological variables, and attitude toward treatment. Discussion The results of this trial will constitute a first step toward establishing the usefulness of hf-tRNS in schizophrenia whatever the stage of the illness and the level of treatment resistance. We hypothesize a long-lasting effect of active hf-tRNS on the severity of schizophrenia symptoms as compared to sham. This trial will also have implications for the use of hf-tRNS as a preventive intervention of relapse in patients with schizophrenia. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02744989. Prospectively registered on 20 April 2016
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerome Brunelin
- Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, PSYR2 team, Bat 416 - 1st floor; 95 boulevard Pinel, 69678, F-69500, Bron cedex, France. .,INSERM, U1028; CNRS, UMR5292; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, PSYR2 Team, F-69000, Lyon, France. .,Lyon 1 University, F-69000, Villeurbanne, France. .,Université Jean Monnet Saint Etienne, F-42000, Saint Etienne, France.
| | - Marine Mondino
- Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, PSYR2 team, Bat 416 - 1st floor; 95 boulevard Pinel, 69678, F-69500, Bron cedex, France.,INSERM, U1028; CNRS, UMR5292; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, PSYR2 Team, F-69000, Lyon, France.,Lyon 1 University, F-69000, Villeurbanne, France.,Université Jean Monnet Saint Etienne, F-42000, Saint Etienne, France
| | - Julie Haesebaert
- Hospices Civils de Lyon, Pôle Santé Publique, Service Recherche et Epidémiologie Cliniques, F-69003, Lyon, France.,Research on Healthcare Performance RESHAPE, INSERM U1290, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | | | | | - Marie Chupin
- Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, F-75013, Paris, France.,CATI Multicenter Neuroimaging Platform, F-75000, Paris, France
| | | | - Wissam El-Hage
- CHRU de Tours, CIC 1415, INSERM, Tours; UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, F-37044, Tours, France
| | - Filipe Galvao
- Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, PSYR2 team, Bat 416 - 1st floor; 95 boulevard Pinel, 69678, F-69500, Bron cedex, France
| | - Renaud Jardri
- University in Lille, INSERM U1172, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition Research Centre, Plasticity & SubjectivitY (PSY) team, CURE Platform, Lille, France
| | | | - Laurent Magaud
- Hospices Civils de Lyon, Pôle Santé Publique, Service Recherche et Epidémiologie Cliniques, F-69003, Lyon, France
| | - Marion Plaze
- GHU PARIS Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, site Sainte-Anne, Service Hospitalo-Universitaire, F-75014, Paris, France.,Université de Paris, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Anne Marie Schott-Pethelaz
- Hospices Civils de Lyon, Pôle Santé Publique, Service Recherche et Epidémiologie Cliniques, F-69003, Lyon, France.,Research on Healthcare Performance RESHAPE, INSERM U1290, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Marie-Françoise Suaud-Chagny
- INSERM, U1028; CNRS, UMR5292; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, PSYR2 Team, F-69000, Lyon, France.,Lyon 1 University, F-69000, Villeurbanne, France.,Université Jean Monnet Saint Etienne, F-42000, Saint Etienne, France
| | | | - Eric Fakra
- INSERM, U1028; CNRS, UMR5292; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, PSYR2 Team, F-69000, Lyon, France.,Lyon 1 University, F-69000, Villeurbanne, France.,Université Jean Monnet Saint Etienne, F-42000, Saint Etienne, France.,CHU de Saint Etienne, F-42000, Saint Etienne, France
| | - Emmanuel Poulet
- Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, PSYR2 team, Bat 416 - 1st floor; 95 boulevard Pinel, 69678, F-69500, Bron cedex, France.,INSERM, U1028; CNRS, UMR5292; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, PSYR2 Team, F-69000, Lyon, France.,Lyon 1 University, F-69000, Villeurbanne, France.,Université Jean Monnet Saint Etienne, F-42000, Saint Etienne, France.,Psychiatric emergency service, Hospices civils de Lyon, F-69005, Lyon, France
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16
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Contò F, Edwards G, Tyler S, Parrott D, Grossman E, Battelli L. Attention network modulation via tRNS correlates with attention gain. eLife 2021; 10:e63782. [PMID: 34826292 PMCID: PMC8626087 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) can enhance vision in the healthy and diseased brain. Yet, the impact of multi-day tRNS on large-scale cortical networks is still unknown. We investigated the impact of tRNS coupled with behavioral training on resting-state functional connectivity and attention. We trained human subjects for 4 consecutive days on two attention tasks, while receiving tRNS over the intraparietal sulci, the middle temporal areas, or Sham stimulation. We measured resting-state functional connectivity of nodes of the dorsal and ventral attention network (DVAN) before and after training. We found a strong behavioral improvement and increased connectivity within the DVAN after parietal stimulation only. Crucially, behavioral improvement positively correlated with connectivity measures. We conclude changes in connectivity are a marker for the enduring effect of tRNS upon behavior. Our results suggest that tRNS has strong potential to augment cognitive capacity in healthy individuals and promote recovery in the neurological population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Contò
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di TecnologiaRoveretoItaly
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of TrentoRoveretoItaly
| | - Grace Edwards
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di TecnologiaRoveretoItaly
- Department of Psychology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Sarah Tyler
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di TecnologiaRoveretoItaly
- Butte CollegeOrovilleUnited States
| | - Danielle Parrott
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di TecnologiaRoveretoItaly
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of TrentoRoveretoItaly
| | - Emily Grossman
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, IrvineIrvineUnited States
| | - Lorella Battelli
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di TecnologiaRoveretoItaly
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of TrentoRoveretoItaly
- Department of Psychology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel, Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
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17
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Busan P, Moret B, Masina F, Del Ben G, Campana G. Speech Fluency Improvement in Developmental Stuttering Using Non-invasive Brain Stimulation: Insights From Available Evidence. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:662016. [PMID: 34456692 PMCID: PMC8386014 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.662016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental stuttering (DS) is a disturbance of the normal rhythm of speech that may be interpreted as very debilitating in the most affected cases. Interventions for DS are historically based on the behavioral modifications of speech patterns (e.g., through speech therapy), which are useful to regain a better speech fluency. However, a great variability in intervention outcomes is normally observed, and no definitive evidence is currently available to resolve stuttering, especially in the case of its persistence in adulthood. In the last few decades, DS has been increasingly considered as a functional disturbance, affecting the correct programming of complex motor sequences such as speech. Compatibly, understanding of the neurophysiological bases of DS has dramatically improved, thanks to neuroimaging, and techniques able to interact with neural tissue functioning [e.g., non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS)]. In this context, the dysfunctional activity of the cortico-basal-thalamo-cortical networks, as well as the defective patterns of connectivity, seems to play a key role, especially in sensorimotor networks. As a consequence, a direct action on the functionality of "defective" or "impaired" brain circuits may help people who stutter to manage dysfluencies in a better way. This may also "potentiate" available interventions, thus favoring more stable outcomes of speech fluency. Attempts aiming at modulating (and improving) brain functioning of people who stutter, realized by using NIBS, are quickly increasing. Here, we will review these recent advancements being applied to the treatment of DS. Insights will be useful not only to assess whether the speech fluency of people who stutter may be ameliorated by acting directly on brain functioning but also will provide further suggestions about the complex and dynamic pathophysiology of DS, where causal effects and "adaptive''/''maladaptive" compensation mechanisms may be strongly overlapped. In conclusion, this review focuses future research toward more specific, targeted, and effective interventions for DS, based on neuromodulation of brain functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Giovanni Del Ben
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Gianluca Campana
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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18
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Abstract
Visual perceptual learning (VPL) is an improvement in visual function following training. Although the practical utility of VPL was once thought to be limited by its specificity to the precise stimuli used during training, more recent work has shown that such specificity can be overcome with appropriate training protocols. In contrast, relatively little is known about the extent to which VPL exhibits motor specificity. Previous studies have yielded mixed results. In this work, we have examined the effector specificity of VPL by training observers on a motion discrimination task that maintains the same visual stimulus (drifting grating) and task structure, but that requires different effectors to indicate the response (saccade vs. button press). We find that, in these conditions, VPL transfers fully between a manual and an oculomotor response. These results are consistent with the idea that VPL entails the learning of a decision rule that can generalize across effectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asmara Awada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.,
| | - Shahab Bakhtiari
- Department of Computer Science, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.,
| | - Christopher C Pack
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.,
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19
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Boniquet-Sanchez S, Sabater-Cruz N. Current Management of Amblyopia with New Technologies for Binocular Treatment. Vision (Basel) 2021; 5:31. [PMID: 34200969 PMCID: PMC8293449 DOI: 10.3390/vision5020031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Amblyopia is the most common cause of monocular poor vision affecting up to 3.7% of the global population. Classically, the first step in treatment has been optical correction, followed by patching and/or pharmacological treatment. However, this is an evolving scenario, since researchers and clinicians are interested in new binocular treatments due to the increasing development of new technologies. In this article main, current binocular treatments as Dig Rush, falling blocks, I-BiT, Occlu-tab, Vivid Vision, and movies are reviewed for binocular amblyopia management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Boniquet-Sanchez
- Anterior Segment Department, Institut Clinic d’Oftalmologia, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain;
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20
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Efficacy of Perceptual Learning-Based Vision Training as an Adjuvant to Occlusion Therapy in the Management of Amblyopia: A Pilot Study. Vision (Basel) 2021; 5:vision5010015. [PMID: 33807038 PMCID: PMC8006050 DOI: 10.3390/vision5010015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate preliminarily the efficacy of perceptual learning (PL) visual training in medium-term follow-up with a specific software (Amblyopia iNET, Home Therapy Systems Inc., Gold Canyon, AZ, USA) for visual acuity (VA) and contrast sensitivity (CS) recovering in a sample of 14 moderate to severe amblyopic subjects with a previously unsuccessful outcome or failure with patching (PL Group). This efficacy was compared with that achieved in a patching control group (13 subjects, Patching 2). At one-month follow-up, a significant VA improvement in the amblyopic eye (AE) was observed in both groups, with no significant differences between them. Additionally, CS was measured in PL Group and exhibited a significant improvement in the AE one month after the beginning of treatment for 3, 6, 12, and 18 cycles/º (p = 0.003). Both groups showed long-lasting retention of visual improvements. A combined therapy of PL-based visual training and patching seems to be effective for improving VA in children with amblyopia who did not recover vision with patching alone or had a poor patching compliance. This preliminary outcome should be confirmed in future clinical trials.
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21
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Battaglini L, Oletto CM, Contemori G, Barollo M, Ciavarelli A, Casco C. Perceptual learning improves visual functions in patients with albinistic bilateral amblyopia: A pilot study. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2021; 39:45-59. [PMID: 33554927 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-201043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several visual functions are impaired in patients with oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) associated to albinistic bilateral amblyopia (ABA). OBJECTIVE In this study, we aimed at exploring whether perceptual learning (PL) can improve visual functions in albinism. METHOD Six patients and six normal sighted controls, were trained in a contrast detection task with lateral masking. Participants were asked to choose which of the two intervals contained a foveally presented low-contrast Gabor patch. Targets were presented between higher contrast collinear flankers with equal spatial frequency. When increasing target-to-flanker distance, lateral interactions effect normally switches from inhibition to facilitation, up to no effect. RESULTS Our findings showed that before PL, only controls showed facilitation. After PL, results suggest that facilitatory lateral interactions are found both in controls as well as in albino patients. These results suggest that PL could induce higher processing efficiency at early cortical level. Moreover, PL positive effect seems to transfer to higher-level visual functions, but results were not very consistent among tasks (visual acuity, contrast sensitivity function, hyperacuity and foveal crowding). CONCLUSIONS Although a small sample size was tested, our findings suggest a rehabilitative potential of PL in improving visual functions in albinism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Battaglini
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Neuro.Vis.U.S. Laboratory, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Department of Physics and Astronomy "Galileo Galilei", University of Padova, via Marzolo, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Giulio Contemori
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Neuro.Vis.U.S. Laboratory, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Michele Barollo
- Neuro.Vis.U.S. Laboratory, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Ambra Ciavarelli
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Neuro.Vis.U.S. Laboratory, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Clara Casco
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Neuro.Vis.U.S. Laboratory, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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22
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Liu Z, Chen Z, Gao L, Liu M, Huang Y, Feng L, Yuan J, Deng D, Huang CB, Yu M. A New Dichoptic Training Strategy Leads to Better Cooperation Between the Two Eyes in Amblyopia. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:593119. [PMID: 33324154 PMCID: PMC7725751 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.593119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent clinical trials failed to endorse dichoptic training for amblyopia treatment. Here, we proposed an alternative training strategy that focused on reducing signal threshold contrast in the amblyopic eye under a constant and high noise contrast in the fellow eye (HNC), and compared it to a typical dichoptic strategy that aimed at increasing the tolerable noise contrast in the fellow eye (i.e., TNC strategy). We recruited 16 patients with amblyopia and divided them into two groups. Eight patients in Group 1 received the HNC training, while the other eight patients in Group 2 performed the TNC training first (Phase 1) and then crossed over to the HNC training (Phase 2). We measured contrast sensitivity functions (CSFs) separately in the amblyopic and fellow eyes when the untested eye viewed mean luminance (monocularly unmasked) or noise stimuli (dichoptically masked) before and after training at a particular frequency. The area under the log contrast sensitivity function (AULCSF) of masked and unmasked conditions, and dichoptic gain (the ratio of AULCSF of masked to unmasked condition) were calculated for each eye. We found that both dichoptic training paradigms substantially improved masked CSF, dichoptic gain, and visual acuity in the amblyopic eye. As opposed to the TNC paradigm, the HNC training produced stronger effects on masked CSFs, stereoacuity, dichoptic gain, and visual acuity in the amblyopic eye. Interestingly, the second-phase HNC training in Group 2 also induced further improvement in the masked contrast sensitivity and AULCSF in the amblyopic eye. We concluded that the HNC training strategy was more effective than the TNC training paradigm. Future design for dichoptic training should not only focus on increasing the tolerable noise contrast in the fellow eye but should also "nurture" the amblyopic eye under normal binocular viewing conditions and sustained interocular suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zitian Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zidong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Le Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Manli Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yiru Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Lei Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Junpeng Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Daming Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Chang-Bing Huang
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Minbin Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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23
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Battaglini L, Mena F, Casco C. Improving motion detection via anodal transcranial direct current stimulation. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2020; 38:395-405. [PMID: 33016896 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-201050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To study motion perception, a stimulus consisting of a field of small, moving dots is often used. Generally, some of the dots coherently move in the same direction (signal) while the rest move randomly (noise). A percept of global coherent motion (CM) results when many different local motion signals are combined. CM computation is a complex process that requires the integrity of the middle-temporal area (MT/V5) and there is evidence that increasing the number of dots presented in the stimulus makes such computation more efficient. OBJECTIVE In this study, we explored whether anodal direct current stimulation (tDCS) over MT/V5 would increase individual performance in a CM task at a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR, i.e. low percentage of coherent dots) and with a target consisting of a large number of moving dots (high dot numerosity, e.g. >250 dots) with respect to low dot numerosity (<60 dots), indicating that tDCS favour the integration of local motion signal into a single global percept (global motion). METHOD Participants were asked to perform a CM detection task (two-interval forced-choice, 2IFC) while they received anodal, cathodal, or sham stimulation on three different days. RESULTS Our findings showed no effect of cathodal tDCS with respect to the sham condition. Instead, anodal tDCS improves performance, but mostly when dot numerosity is high (>400 dots) to promote efficient global motion processing. CONCLUSIONS The present study suggests that tDCS may be used under appropriate stimulus conditions (low SNR and high dot numerosity) to boost the global motion processing efficiency, and may be useful to empower clinical protocols to treat visual deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Battaglini
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Neuro.Vis.U.S. Laboratory, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Federica Mena
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Clara Casco
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Neuro.Vis.U.S. Laboratory, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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24
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Wu D, Li C, Liu N, Xu P, Xiao W. Visual motion perception improvements following direct current stimulation over V5 are dependent on initial performance. Exp Brain Res 2020; 238:2409-2416. [PMID: 32776173 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-05842-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can improve visual perception. However, the effect of tDCS on visual perception is largely variable, possibly due to individual differences in initial performance. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the dependency of visual motion perception improvements on initial performance. Twenty-eight observers were randomly divided into two groups. Anodal tDCS and sham stimulation were separately applied to V5 (1.5 mA, 20 min), while observers performed a coherent motion direction identification task. The results showed that compared to sham stimulation, anodal tDCS induced a significant improvement in motion perception that lasted at least 20 min. In addition, the degree of improvement was dependent on initial performance, with a greater improvement magnitude observed for those with poorer initial performance. These results may have implications for understanding the nature of the stimulation rule and for the use of a customised stimulation protocol to enhance tDCS efficiency in practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Wu
- Department of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chenxi Li
- Scholl of Nursing, Yueyang Vocational Technical College, Yueyang, China
| | - Na Liu
- Department of Nursing, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Pengbo Xu
- Department of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wei Xiao
- Department of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
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25
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Perin C, Viganò B, Piscitelli D, Matteo BM, Meroni R, Cerri CG. Non-invasive current stimulation in vision recovery: a review of the literature. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2020; 38:239-250. [PMID: 31884495 PMCID: PMC7504999 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-190948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Background: Around 253 million people worldwide suffer from irreversible visual damage. Numerous studies have been carried out in order to unveil the effects of electrical stimulation (ES) as a useful tool for rehabilitation for different visual conditions and pathologies. Objective: This systematic review aimed to 1) examine the current evidence of ES efficacy for the treatment of visual pathologies and 2) define the corresponding degree of the recommendation of different ES techniques. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in MEDLINE and Cochrane Library database to collect documents published between 2000 and 2018. For each study, Level of Evidence of Effectiveness of ES as well as the Class of Quality for the treatment of different visual pathologies were determined. Results: Thirty-eight articles were included. Studies were grouped according to the pathology treated and the type of stimulation administered. The first group included studies treating pre-chiasmatic pathologies (age-related macular degeneration, macular dystrophy, retinal artery occlusion, retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, optic nerve damage, and optic neuropathy) using pre-chiasmatic stimulation; the second group included studies treating both pre-chiasmatic pathologies (amblyopia, myopia) and post-chiasmatic pathologies or brain conditions (hemianopsia, brain trauma) by means of post-chiasmatic stimulation. In the first group, repetitive transorbital alternating current stimulation (rtACS) reached level A recommendation, and transcorneal electrical stimulation (tcES) reached level B. In the second group, both high-frequency random noise stimulation (hf-RNS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) reached level C recommendation. Conclusions: Study’s findings suggest conclusive evidence for rtACS treatment. For other protocols results are promising but not conclusive since the examined studies assessed different stimulation parameters and endpoints. A comparison of the effects of different combinations of these variables still lacks in the literature. Further studies are needed to optimize existing protocols and determine if different protocols are needed for different diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Perin
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia (School of Medicine and Surgery), University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI), University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Daniele Piscitelli
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia (School of Medicine and Surgery), University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Barbara Maria Matteo
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia (School of Medicine and Surgery), University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Meroni
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia (School of Medicine and Surgery), University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI), University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Current Affilation: Department of Physiotherapy, LUNEX International University of Health, Exercise and Sports. Differdange, Luxembourg
| | - Cesare Giuseppe Cerri
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia (School of Medicine and Surgery), University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI), University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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26
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Chen Y, Min SH, Cheng Z, Chen S, Wang Z, Tao C, Lu F, Qu J, Huang PC, Hess RF, Zhou J. Short-Term Deprivation Does Not Influence Monocular or Dichoptic Temporal Synchrony at Low Temporal Frequency. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:402. [PMID: 32410957 PMCID: PMC7198853 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on binocular combination and rivalry show that short-term deprivation strengthens the contribution of the deprived eye in binocular vision. However, whether short-term monocular deprivation affects temporal processing per se is not clear. To address this issue, we conducted a study to investigate the effect of monocular deprivation on dichoptic temporal synchrony. We tested ten adults with normal vision and patched their dominant eye with an opaque patch for 2.5 h. A temporal synchrony paradigm was used to measure if temporal synchrony thresholds change as a result of monocular pattern deprivation. In this paradigm, we displayed two pairs of Gaussian blobs flickering at 1 Hz with either the same or different phased- temporal modulation. In Experiment 1, we obtained the thresholds for detecting temporal asynchrony under dichoptic viewing configurations. We compared the thresholds for temporal synchrony between before and after monocular deprivation and found no significant changes of the interocular synchrony. In Experiment 2, we measured the monocular thresholds for detecting temporal asynchrony. We also found no significant changes of the monocular synchrony of either the patched eye or the unpatched eye. Our findings suggest that short-term monocular deprivation induced-plasticity does not influence monocular or dichoptic temporal synchrony at low temporal frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiya Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Seung Hyun Min
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, McGill Vision Research, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Ziyun Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Shijia Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Zili Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Chunwen Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Fan Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jia Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Pi-Chun Huang
- Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Robert F Hess
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, McGill Vision Research, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jiawei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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27
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Sabel BA, Thut G, Haueisen J, Henrich-Noack P, Herrmann CS, Hunold A, Kammer T, Matteo B, Sergeeva EG, Waleszczyk W, Antal A. Vision modulation, plasticity and restoration using non-invasive brain stimulation – An IFCN-sponsored review. Clin Neurophysiol 2020; 131:887-911. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2020.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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28
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Wu D, Zhang P, Li C, Liu N, Jia W, Chen G, Ren W, Sun Y, Xiao W. Perceptual Learning at Higher Trained Cutoff Spatial Frequencies Induces Larger Visual Improvements. Front Psychol 2020; 11:265. [PMID: 32153473 PMCID: PMC7047335 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well known that extensive practice of a perceptual task can improve visual performance, termed perceptual learning. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the dependency of visual improvements on the features of training stimuli (i.e., spatial frequency). Twenty-eight observers were divided into training and control groups. Visual acuity (VA) and contrast sensitivity function (CSF) were measured and compared before and after training. All observers in the training group were trained in a monocular grating detection task near their individual cutoff spatial frequencies. The results showed that perceptual learning induced significant visual improvement, which was dependent on the cutoff spatial frequency, with a greater improvement magnitude and transfer of perceptual learning observed for those trained with higher spatial frequencies. However, VA significantly improved following training but was not related to the cutoff spatial frequency. The results may broaden the understanding of the nature of the learning rule and the neural plasticity of different cortical areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Wu
- Department of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Pan Zhang
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Chenxi Li
- School of Nursing, Yueyang Vocational Technical College, Yueyang, China
| | - Na Liu
- Department of Nursing, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wuli Jia
- Department of Psychology, School of Education Science, Huaiyin Normal University, Huai'an, China
| | - Ge Chen
- School of Arts and Design, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Weicong Ren
- Department of Psychology, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yuqi Sun
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wei Xiao
- Department of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
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29
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Chen Y, He Z, Mao Y, Chen H, Zhou J, Hess RF. Patching and Suppression in Amblyopia: One Mechanism or Two? Front Neurosci 2020; 13:1364. [PMID: 32009874 PMCID: PMC6974542 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose To determine if benefits from occlusion therapy are due to decreased suppression from the fellow eye in children with amblyopia. Methods Ten newly diagnosed amblyopes (7.2 ± 1.4 years old), two with strabismus and eight with anisometropia, participated. Patients were first given a 2-month period of refractive adaptation, followed by occlusion therapy (i.e., patching their fellow eye with an opaque patch for 4 h/day). Visual acuity of the amblyopic eye and interocular suppression were measured before and after 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 6 months of occlusion therapy. We quantified interocular suppression with a binocular phase combination task. Results Visual acuity (in logMAR) improved from 0.50 ± 0.22 (mean ± SD) to 0.33 ± 0.20 for patients who finished a short-term (2 months) occlusion (A1–A10), from 0.53 ± 0.20 to 0.32 ± 0.22 for patients who finished a medium-term (4 months) occlusion (A1–A9), and from 0.48 ± 0.19 to 0.22 ± 0.10 for patients who finished a long-term (6 months) occlusion (A1–A8). Although their visual acuity significantly improved, their degree of suppression, which was abnormal in all cases, did not change consistently. This was true in all durations of occlusion therapy. Conclusion Reduced suppression from the fixing eye might not be result from occlusion therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiya Chen
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Zhifen He
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yu Mao
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Hao Chen
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jiawei Zhou
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Robert F Hess
- McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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30
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Battaglini L, Contemori G, Penzo S, Maniglia M. tRNS effects on visual contrast detection. Neurosci Lett 2020; 717:134696. [PMID: 31846733 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) has been used to improve cognitive and perceptual abilities and to boost learning. In the visual domain, transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), a type of tES in which electric current is randomly alternating in between two electrodes at high frequency, has shown potential in inducing long lasting perceptual improvements when coupled with tasks such as contrast detection. However, its cortical mechanisms and online effects have not been fully understood yet, and it is still unclear whether these long-term improvements are due to early-stage perceptual enhancements of contrast sensitivity or later stage mechanisms such as learning consolidation. Here we tested tRNS effects on multiple spatial frequencies and orientation, showing that tRNS enhances detection of a low contrast Gabor, but only for oblique orientation and high spatial frequency (12 cycles per degree of visual angle). No improvement was observed for low contrast and vertical stimuli. These results indicate that tRNS can enhance contrast sensitivity already after one training session, however this early onset is dependent on characteristics of the stimulus such as spatial frequency and orientation. In particular, the shallow depth of tRNS is likely to affect superficial layers of the visual cortex where neurons have higher preferred spatial frequencies than cells in further layers, while the lack of effect on vertical stimuli might reflect the optimization of the visual system to see cardinally oriented low contrast stimuli, leaving little room for short-term improvement. Taken together, these results suggest that online tRNS effects on visual perception are the result of a complex interaction between stimulus intensity and cortical anatomy, consistent with previous literature on brain stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Battaglini
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Neuro.Vis.U.S. Laboratory, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
| | - Giulio Contemori
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Neuro.Vis.U.S. Laboratory, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Université de Toulouse-UPS, Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Toulouse, France
| | - Sofia Penzo
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Marcello Maniglia
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
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31
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Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS): a wide range of frequencies is needed for increasing cortical excitability. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15150. [PMID: 31641235 PMCID: PMC6806007 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51553-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) is a recent neuromodulation protocol. The high-frequency band (hf-tRNS) has shown to be the most effective in enhancing neural excitability. The frequency band of hf-tRNS typically spans from 100 to 640 Hz. Here we asked whether both the lower and the higher half of the high-frequency band are needed for increasing neural excitability. Three frequency ranges (100–400 Hz, 400–700 Hz, 100–700 Hz) and Sham conditions were delivered for 10 minutes at an intensity of 1.5 mA over the primary motor cortex (M1). Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was delivered over the same area at baseline, 0, 10, 20, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after stimulation, while motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded to evaluate changes in cortical excitability. Only the full-band condition (100–700 Hz) was able to modulate excitability by enhancing MEPs at 10 and 20 minutes after stimulation: neither the higher nor the lower sub-range of the high-frequency band significantly modulated cortical excitability. These results show that the efficacy of tRNS is strictly related to the width of the selected frequency range.
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32
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Asher JM, Romei V, Hibbard PB. Spatial Frequency Tuning and Transfer of Perceptual Learning for Motion Coherence Reflects the Tuning Properties of Global Motion Processing. Vision (Basel) 2019; 3:vision3030044. [PMID: 31735845 PMCID: PMC6802806 DOI: 10.3390/vision3030044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceptual learning is typically highly specific to the stimuli and task used during training. However, recently, it has been shown that training on global motion can transfer to untrained tasks, reflecting the generalising properties of mechanisms at this level of processing. We investigated (i) if feedback was required for learning in a motion coherence task, (ii) the transfer across the spatial frequency of training on a global motion coherence task and (iii) the transfer of this training to a measure of contrast sensitivity. For our first experiment, two groups, with and without feedback, trained for ten days on a broadband motion coherence task. Results indicated that feedback was a requirement for robust learning. For the second experiment, training consisted of five days of direction discrimination using one of three motion coherence stimuli (where individual elements were comprised of either broadband Gaussian blobs or low- or high-frequency random-dot Gabor patches), with trial-by-trial auditory feedback. A pre- and post-training assessment was conducted for each of the three types of global motion coherence conditions and high and low spatial frequency contrast sensitivity (both without feedback). Our training paradigm was successful at eliciting improvement in the trained tasks over the five days. Post-training assessments found evidence of transfer for the motion coherence task exclusively for the group trained on low spatial frequency elements. For the contrast sensitivity tasks, improved performance was observed for low- and high-frequency stimuli, following motion coherence training with broadband stimuli, and for low-frequency stimuli, following low-frequency training. Our findings are consistent with perceptual learning, which depends on the global stage of motion processing in higher cortical areas, which is broadly tuned for spatial frequency, with a preference for low frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi M. Asher
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK; (V.R.); (P.B.H.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Vincenzo Romei
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK; (V.R.); (P.B.H.)
- Dipartimento di Psicologia and Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Paul B. Hibbard
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK; (V.R.); (P.B.H.)
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Pavan A, Ghin F, Contillo A, Milesi C, Campana G, Mather G. Modulatory mechanisms underlying high-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (hf-tRNS): A combined stochastic resonance and equivalent noise approach. Brain Stimul 2019; 12:967-977. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2019.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
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Boosting Learning Efficacy with Noninvasive Brain Stimulation in Intact and Brain-Damaged Humans. J Neurosci 2019; 39:5551-5561. [PMID: 31133558 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3248-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous behavioral studies have shown that visual function can improve with training, although perceptual refinements generally require weeks to months of training to attain. This, along with questions about long-term retention of learning, limits practical and clinical applications of many such paradigms. Here, we show for the first time in female and male human participants that just 10 d of visual training coupled with transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) over visual areas causes dramatic improvements in visual motion perception. Relative to control conditions and anodal stimulation, tRNS-enhanced learning was at least twice as fast, and, crucially, it persisted for 6 months after the end of training and stimulation. Notably, tRNS also boosted learning in patients with chronic cortical blindness, leading to recovery of motion processing in the blind field after just 10 d of training, a period too short to elicit enhancements with training alone. In sum, our results reveal a remarkable enhancement of the capacity for long-lasting plastic and restorative changes when a neuromodulatory intervention is coupled with visual training.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our work demonstrates that visual training coupled with brain stimulation can dramatically reduce the training period from months to weeks, and lead to fast improvement in neurotypical subjects and chronic cortically blind patients, indicating the potential of our procedure to help restore damaged visual abilities for currently untreatable visual dysfunctions. Together, these results indicate the critical role of early visual areas in perceptual learning and reveal its capacity for long-lasting plastic changes promoted by neuromodulatory intervention.
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35
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He Q, Lin BR, Zhao J, Shi YZ, Yan FF, Huang CB. No effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation on contrast sensitivity function. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2019; 37:109-118. [DOI: 10.3233/rnn-180881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Qing He
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bo-Rong Lin
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jin Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ying-Zhen Shi
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fang-Fang Yan
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chang-Bing Huang
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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36
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Contemori G, Trotter Y, Cottereau BR, Maniglia M. tRNS boosts perceptual learning in peripheral vision. Neuropsychologia 2019; 125:129-136. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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37
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Cohen D, Goddard E, Mullen KT. Reevaluating hMT+ and hV4 functional specialization for motion and static contrast using fMRI-guided repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. J Vis 2019; 19:11. [PMID: 30916726 DOI: 10.1167/19.3.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although visual areas hMT+ and hV4 are considered to have segregated functions for the processing of motion and form within dorsal and ventral streams, respectively, more recent evidence favors some functional overlap. Here we use fMRI-guided online repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to test two associated hypotheses: that area hV4 is causally involved in the perception of motion and hMT+ in the perception of static form. We use variations of a common global stimulus to test two dynamic motion-based tasks and two static form-based tasks in ipsilateral and contralateral visual fields. We find that rTMS to both hMT+ and hV4 significantly impairs direction discrimination and causes a perceptual slowing of motion, implicating hV4 in motion perception. Stimulation of hMT+ impairs motion in both visual fields, implying that disruption to one hMT+ disrupts the other with both needed for optimal performance. For the second hypothesis, we find the novel result that hV4 stimulation markedly reduces perceived contrast of a static stimulus. hMT+ stimulation also produces an effect, implicating it in static contrast perception. Our findings are the first to show that rTMS of hV4 can produce a large perceptual effect and, taken together, suggest a less rigid functional segregation between hMT+ and hV4 than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Cohen
- McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Erin Goddard
- McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kathy T Mullen
- McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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38
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Differential effects of high-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (hf-tRNS) on contrast sensitivity and visual acuity when combined with a short perceptual training in adults with amblyopia. Neuropsychologia 2018; 114:125-133. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2017] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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39
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Synaptic and circuit development of the primary sensory cortex. Exp Mol Med 2018; 50:1-9. [PMID: 29628505 PMCID: PMC5938038 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-018-0029-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals, including humans, optimize their primary sensory cortex through the use of input signals, which allow them to adapt to the external environment and survive. The time window at the beginning of life in which external input signals are connected sensitively and strongly to neural circuit optimization is called the critical period. The critical period has attracted the attention of many neuroscientists due to the rapid activity-/experience-dependent circuit development that occurs, which is clearly differentiated from other developmental time periods and brain areas. This process involves various types of GABAergic inhibitory neurons, the extracellular matrix, neuromodulators, transcription factors, and neurodevelopmental factors. In this review, I discuss recent progress regarding the biological nature of the critical period that contribute to a better understanding of brain development.
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40
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Mezad-Koursh D, Rosenblatt A, Newman H, Stolovitch C. Home use of binocular dichoptic video content device for treatment of amblyopia: a pilot study. J AAPOS 2018; 22:134-138.e4. [PMID: 29555515 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaapos.2017.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2017] [Revised: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy of the BinoVision home system as measured by improvement of visual acuity in the patient's amblyopic eye. METHODS An open-label prospective pilot-trial of the system was conducted with amblyopic children aged 4-8 years at the pediatric ophthalmology unit, Tel-Aviv Medical Center, January 2014 to October 2015. Participants were assigned to the study or sham group for treatment with BinoVision for 8 or 12 weeks. Patients were instructed to watch animated television shows and videos at home using the BinoVision device for 60 minutes, 6 days a week. The BinoVision program incorporates elements at different contrast and brightness levels for both eyes, weak eye tracking training by superimposed screen images, and weak eye flicker stimuli with alerting sound manipulations. Patients were examined at 4, 8, 12, 24, and 36 weeks. RESULTS A total of 27 children were recruited (14 boys), with 19 in the treatment group. Median age was 5 years (range, 4-8 years). Mean visual acuity improved by 0.26 logMAR lines in the treatment group from baseline to 12 weeks. Visual acuity was improved compared to baseline during all study and follow-up appointments (P < 0.01), with stabilization of visual acuity after cessation of treatment. The sham group completed 4 weeks of sham protocol with no change in visual acuity (P = 0.285). The average compliance rate was 88% ± 16% (50% to 100%) in treatment group. CONCLUSIONS This pilot trial of 12 weeks of amblyopia treatment with the BinoVision home system demonstrated significant improvement in patients' visual acuity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daphna Mezad-Koursh
- Department of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Amir Rosenblatt
- Department of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Hadas Newman
- Department of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Chaim Stolovitch
- Department of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Abstract
A hallmark of modern Perceptual Learning (PL) is the extent to which learning is specific to the trained stimuli. Such specificity to orientation, spatial location and even eye of training has been used as psychophysical evidence of the neural basis of learning. This argument that specificity of PL implies regionalization of brain plasticity implicitly assumes that examination of a singular locus of PL is an appropriate approach to understand learning. However, recent research shows that learning effects once thought to be specific depend on subtleties of the training paradigm and that within even a simple training procedure there are multiple aspects of the task and stimuli that are learned simultaneously. Here, we suggest that learning on any task involves a broad network of brain regions undergoing changes in representations, read-out weights, decision rules, attention and feedback processes as well as oculomotor changes. However, importantly, the distribution of learning across the neural system depends upon the details of the training procedure and the characterstics of the individual being trained. We propose that to advance our understanding of PL, the field must move towards understanding how distributed brain processes jointly contribute to behavioral learning effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Maniglia
- Department of Psychology, University of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA
| | - Aaron R Seitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA
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Maniglia M, Pavan A, Sato G, Contemori G, Montemurro S, Battaglini L, Casco C. Perceptual learning leads to long lasting visual improvement in patients with central vision loss. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2018; 34:697-720. [PMID: 27567754 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-150575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Macular Degeneration (MD), a visual disease that produces central vision loss, is one of the main causes of visual disability in western countries. Patients with MD are forced to use a peripheral retinal locus (PRL) as a substitute of the fovea. However, the poor sensitivity of this region renders basic everyday tasks very hard for MD patients. OBJECTIVE We investigated whether perceptual learning (PL) with lateral masking in the PRL of MD patients, improved their residual visual functions. METHOD Observers were trained with two distinct contrast detection tasks: (i) a Yes/No task with no feedback (MD: N = 3; controls: N = 3), and (ii) a temporal two-alternative forced choice task with feedback on incorrect trials (i.e., temporal-2AFC; MD: N = 4; controls: N = 3). Observers had to detect a Gabor patch (target) flanked above and below by two high contrast patches (i.e., lateral masking). Stimulus presentation was monocular with durations varying between 133 and 250 ms. Participants underwent 24- 27 training sessions in total. RESULTS Both PL procedures produced significant improvements in the trained task and learning transferred to visual acuity. Besides, the amount of transfer was greater for the temporal-2AFC task that induced a significant improvement of the contrast sensitivity for untrained spatial frequencies. Most importantly, follow-up tests on MD patients trained with the temporal-2AFC task showed that PL effects were retained between four and six months, suggesting long-term neural plasticity changes in the visual cortex. CONCLUSION The results show for the first time that PL with a lateral masking configuration has strong, non-invasive and long lasting rehabilitative potential to improve residual vision in the PRL of patients with central vision loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Maniglia
- Université de Toulouse-UPS, Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Toulouse Cedex, France.,University of California, Department of Psychology, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Andrea Pavan
- University of Lincoln, School of Psychology, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, UK
| | - Giovanni Sato
- Centro di Riabilitazione Visiva Ipovedenti c/o Istituto L. Configliachi- Via Sette Martiri, Padova, Italy
| | - Giulio Contemori
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Sonia Montemurro
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Luca Battaglini
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Clara Casco
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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Maniglia M, Cottereau BR, Soler V, Trotter Y. Rehabilitation Approaches in Macular Degeneration Patients. Front Syst Neurosci 2016; 10:107. [PMID: 28082876 PMCID: PMC5187382 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2016.00107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is a visual disease that affects elderly population. It entails a progressive loss of central vision whose consequences are dramatic for the patient's quality of life. Current rehabilitation programs are restricted to technical aids based on visual devices. They only temporarily improve specific visual functions such as reading skills. Considering the rapid increase of the aging population worldwide, it is crucial to intensify clinical research on AMD in order to develop simple and efficient methods that improve the patient's visual performances in many different contexts. One very promising approach to face this challenge is based on perceptual learning (PL). Through intensive practice, PL can induce neural plasticity in sensory cortices and result in long-lasting enhancements for various perceptual tasks in both normal and visually impaired populations. A growing number of studies showed how appropriate PL protocols improve visual functions in visual disorders, namely amblyopia, presbyopia or myopia. In order to successfully apply these approaches to more severe conditions such as AMD, numerous challenges have to be overcome. Indeed, the overall elderly age of patients and the reduced cortical surface that is devoted to peripheral vision potentially limit neural plasticity in this population. In addition, ocular fixation becomes much less stable because patients have to rely on peripheral fixation spots outside the scotoma whose size keeps on evolving. The aim of this review article is to discuss the recent literature on this topic and to offer a unified approach for developing new rehabilitation programs of AMD using PL. We argue that with an appropriate experimental and training protocol that is adapted to each patient needs, PL can offer fascinating opportunities for the development of simple, non-expensive rehabilitation approaches a large spectrum of visual functions in AMD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Maniglia
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse-UPSToulouse, France; Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueToulouse, France; Department of Psychology, University of CaliforniaRiverside, CA, USA
| | - Benoit R Cottereau
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse-UPSToulouse, France; Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueToulouse, France
| | - Vincent Soler
- Department of Ophthalmology, Hopital CHU Purpan Toulouse, France
| | - Yves Trotter
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse-UPSToulouse, France; Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueToulouse, France
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Opposite effects of high- and low-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation probed with visual motion adaptation. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38919. [PMID: 27934947 PMCID: PMC5146960 DOI: 10.1038/srep38919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) is a recent neuro-modulation technique whose effects at both behavioural and neural level are still debated. Here we employed the well-known phenomenon of motion after-effect (MAE) in order to investigate the effects of high- vs. low-frequency tRNS on motion adaptation and recovery. Participants were asked to estimate the MAE duration following prolonged adaptation (20 s) to a complex moving pattern, while being stimulated with either sham or tRNS across different blocks. Different groups were administered with either high- or low-frequency tRNS. Stimulation sites were either bilateral human MT complex (hMT+) or frontal areas. The results showed that, whereas no effects on MAE duration were induced by stimulating frontal areas, when applied to the bilateral hMT+, high-frequency tRNS caused a significant decrease in MAE duration whereas low-frequency tRNS caused a significant corresponding increase in MAE duration. These findings indicate that high- and low-frequency tRNS have opposed effects on the adaptation-dependent unbalance between neurons tuned to opposite motion directions, and thus on neuronal excitability.
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Camilleri R, Pavan A, Campana G. The application of online transcranial random noise stimulation and perceptual learning in the improvement of visual functions in mild myopia. Neuropsychologia 2016; 89:225-231. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Hoyt C. What is next in amblyopia treatment? Ophthalmology 2015; 122:871-3. [PMID: 25919778 DOI: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2015.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2015] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Campana G, Maniglia M. Editorial: Improving visual deficits with perceptual learning. Front Psychol 2015; 6:491. [PMID: 25954239 PMCID: PMC4404727 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Campana
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova Padova, Italy ; Human Inspired Technologies Research Centre - HIT, University of Padova Padova, Italy
| | - Marcello Maniglia
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse-UPS Toulouse, France ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Toulouse, France
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