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Maimon A, Wald IY, Snir A, Ben Oz M, Amedi A. Perceiving depth beyond sight: Evaluating intrinsic and learned cues via a proof of concept sensory substitution method in the visually impaired and sighted. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0310033. [PMID: 39321152 PMCID: PMC11423994 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 08/23/2024] [Indexed: 09/27/2024] Open
Abstract
This study explores spatial perception of depth by employing a novel proof of concept sensory substitution algorithm. The algorithm taps into existing cognitive scaffolds such as language and cross modal correspondences by naming objects in the scene while representing their elevation and depth by manipulation of the auditory properties for each axis. While the representation of verticality utilized a previously tested correspondence with pitch, the representation of depth employed an ecologically inspired manipulation, based on the loss of gain and filtration of higher frequency sounds over distance. The study, involving 40 participants, seven of which were blind (5) or visually impaired (2), investigates the intrinsicness of an ecologically inspired mapping of auditory cues for depth by comparing it to an interchanged condition where the mappings of the two axes are swapped. All participants successfully learned to use the algorithm following a very brief period of training, with the blind and visually impaired participants showing similar levels of success for learning to use the algorithm as did their sighted counterparts. A significant difference was found at baseline between the two conditions, indicating the intuitiveness of the original ecologically inspired mapping. Despite this, participants were able to achieve similar success rates following the training in both conditions. The findings indicate that both intrinsic and learned cues come into play with respect to depth perception. Moreover, they suggest that by employing perceptual learning, novel sensory mappings can be trained in adulthood. Regarding the blind and visually impaired, the results also support the convergence view, which claims that with training, their spatial abilities can converge with those of the sighted. Finally, we discuss how the algorithm can open new avenues for accessibility technologies, virtual reality, and other practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber Maimon
- Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- Computational Psychiatry and Neurotechnology Lab, Ben Gurion University, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - Iddo Yehoshua Wald
- Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- Digital Media Lab, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Adi Snir
- Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Meshi Ben Oz
- Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
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2
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Bang JW, Hamilton-Fletcher G, Chan KC. Visual Plasticity in Adulthood: Perspectives from Hebbian and Homeostatic Plasticity. Neuroscientist 2023; 29:117-138. [PMID: 34382456 PMCID: PMC9356772 DOI: 10.1177/10738584211037619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The visual system retains profound plastic potential in adulthood. In the current review, we summarize the evidence of preserved plasticity in the adult visual system during visual perceptual learning as well as both monocular and binocular visual deprivation. In each condition, we discuss how such evidence reflects two major cellular mechanisms of plasticity: Hebbian and homeostatic processes. We focus on how these two mechanisms work together to shape plasticity in the visual system. In addition, we discuss how these two mechanisms could be further revealed in future studies investigating cross-modal plasticity in the visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Won Bang
- Department of Ophthalmology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Giles Hamilton-Fletcher
- Department of Ophthalmology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kevin C. Chan
- Department of Ophthalmology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Radiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, College of Arts and Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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3
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Ptito M, Bleau M, Djerourou I, Paré S, Schneider FC, Chebat DR. Brain-Machine Interfaces to Assist the Blind. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:638887. [PMID: 33633557 PMCID: PMC7901898 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.638887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The loss or absence of vision is probably one of the most incapacitating events that can befall a human being. The importance of vision for humans is also reflected in brain anatomy as approximately one third of the human brain is devoted to vision. It is therefore unsurprising that throughout history many attempts have been undertaken to develop devices aiming at substituting for a missing visual capacity. In this review, we present two concepts that have been prevalent over the last two decades. The first concept is sensory substitution, which refers to the use of another sensory modality to perform a task that is normally primarily sub-served by the lost sense. The second concept is cross-modal plasticity, which occurs when loss of input in one sensory modality leads to reorganization in brain representation of other sensory modalities. Both phenomena are training-dependent. We also briefly describe the history of blindness from ancient times to modernity, and then proceed to address the means that have been used to help blind individuals, with an emphasis on modern technologies, invasive (various type of surgical implants) and non-invasive devices. With the advent of brain imaging, it has become possible to peer into the neural substrates of sensory substitution and highlight the magnitude of the plastic processes that lead to a rewired brain. Finally, we will address the important question of the value and practicality of the available technologies and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurice Ptito
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Maxime Bleau
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Ismaël Djerourou
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Samuel Paré
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Fabien C. Schneider
- TAPE EA7423 University of Lyon-Saint Etienne, Saint Etienne, France
- Neuroradiology Unit, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Daniel-Robert Chebat
- Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (VCN Lab), Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ariel University, Ariel, Israël
- Navigation and Accessibility Research Center of Ariel University (NARCA), Ariel, Israël
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4
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Sun JJ, Pan XQ, Yang R, Jin ZS, Li YH, Liu J, Wu DX. Changes in sensorimotor regions of the cerebral cortex in congenital amusia: a case-control study. Neural Regen Res 2021; 16:531-536. [PMID: 32985483 PMCID: PMC7996008 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.293154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceiving pitch is a central function of the human auditory system; congenital amusia is a disorder of pitch perception. The underlying neural mechanisms of congenital amusia have been actively discussed. However, little attention has been paid to the changes in the motor rain within congenital amusia. In this case-control study, 17 participants with congenital amusia and 14 healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while resting with their eyes closed. A voxel-based degree centrality method was used to identify abnormal functional network centrality by comparing degree centrality values between the congenital amusia group and the healthy control group. We found decreased degree centrality values in the right primary sensorimotor areas in participants with congenital amusia relative to controls, indicating potentially decreased centrality of the corresponding brain regions in the auditory-sensory motor feedback network. We found a significant positive correlation between the degree centrality values and the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia scores. In conclusion, our study identified novel, hitherto undiscussed candidate brain regions that may partly contribute to or be modulated by congenital amusia. Our evidence supports the view that sensorimotor coupling plays an important role in memory and musical discrimination. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, China (No. WDX20180101GZ01) on February 9, 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Jie Sun
- Department of Radiology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha; Department of Radiology, the Affiliated Zhuzhou Hospital of Xiangya College of Medicine, Central South University, Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, China
| | - Xue-Qun Pan
- Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communication, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ru Yang
- Department of Radiology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Zhi-Shuai Jin
- Medical Psychological Center, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Yi-Hui Li
- Department of Radiology, the Affiliated Zhuzhou Hospital of Xiangya College of Medicine, Central South University, Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Radiology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Da-Xing Wu
- Medical Psychological Center, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
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5
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Allison TS, Moritz J, Turk P, Stone-Roy LM. Lingual electrotactile discrimination ability is associated with the presence of specific connective tissue structures (papillae) on the tongue surface. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0237142. [PMID: 32764778 PMCID: PMC7413419 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Electrical stimulation of nerve endings in the tongue can be used to communicate information to users and has been shown to be highly effective in sensory substitution applications. The anterior tip of the tongue has very small somatosensory receptive fields, comparable to those of the finger tips, allowing for precise two-point discrimination and high tactile sensitivity. However, perception of electrotactile stimuli varies significantly between users, and across the tongue surface. Despite this, previous studies all used uniform electrode grids to stimulate a region of the dorsal-medial tongue surface. In an effort to customize electrode layouts for individual users, and thus improve efficacy for sensory substitution applications, we investigated whether specific neuroanatomical and physiological features of the tongue are associated with enhanced ability to perceive active electrodes. Specifically, the study described here was designed to test whether fungiform papillae density and/or propylthiouracil sensitivity are positively or negatively associated with perceived intensity and/or discrimination ability for lingual electrotactile stimuli. Fungiform papillae number and distribution were determined for 15 participants and they were exposed to patterns of electrotactile stimulation (ETS) and asked to report perceived intensity and perceived number of stimuli. Fungiform papillae number and distribution were then compared to ETS characteristics using comprehensive and rigorous statistical analyses. Our results indicate that fungiform papillae density is correlated with enhanced discrimination ability for electrical stimuli. In contrast, papillae density, on average, is not correlated with perceived intensity of active electrodes. However, results for at least one participant suggest that further research is warranted. Our data indicate that propylthiouracil taster status is not related to ETS perceived intensity or discrimination ability. These data indicate that individuals with higher fungiform papillae number and density in the anterior medial tongue region may be better able to use lingual ETS for sensory substitution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler S. Allison
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Joel Moritz
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- Sapien LLC, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Philip Turk
- Department of Statistics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Leslie M. Stone-Roy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Chan KC, Murphy MC, Bang JW, Sims J, Kashkoush J, Nau AC. Functional MRI of Sensory Substitution in the Blind. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2019; 2018:5519-5522. [PMID: 30441587 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2018.8513622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Visual cortex functionality in the blind has been shown to shift away from sensory networks toward task-positive networks that are involved in top-down modulation. However, how such modulation is shaped by experience and reflected behaviorally remains unclear. This study evaluates the visual cortex activity and functional connectivity among congenitally blind, acquired blind, and sighted subjects using blood-oxygenation-level-dependent functional MRI during sensory substitution tasks and at rest. We found that primary visual cortex activity due to active interpretation not only depends on the blindness duration, but also negatively associates with behavioral reaction time. In addition, alterations in visual and task-positive functional connectivity progress over the duration of blindness. In summary, this work suggests that functional plasticity in the primary visual cortex can be reshaped in the blind over time, even in the adult stage. Furthermore, the degree of top-down activity in the primary visual cortex may reflect the speed of performance during sensory substitution.
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7
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Singh AK, Phillips F, Merabet LB, Sinha P. Why Does the Cortex Reorganize after Sensory Loss? Trends Cogn Sci 2018; 22:569-582. [PMID: 29907530 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 04/01/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
A growing body of evidence demonstrates that the brain can reorganize dramatically following sensory loss. Although the existence of such neuroplastic crossmodal changes is not in doubt, the functional significance of these changes remains unclear. The dominant belief is that reorganization is compensatory. However, results thus far do not unequivocally indicate that sensory deprivation results in markedly enhanced abilities in other senses. Here, we consider alternative reasons besides sensory compensation that might drive the brain to reorganize after sensory loss. One such possibility is that the cortex reorganizes not to confer functional benefits, but to avoid undesirable physiological consequences of sensory deafferentation. Empirical assessment of the validity of this and other possibilities defines a rich program for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Kalia Singh
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Flip Phillips
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, USA
| | - Lotfi B Merabet
- Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity, Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Pawan Sinha
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Stronks HC, Mitchell EB, Nau AC, Barnes N. Visual task performance in the blind with the BrainPort V100 Vision Aid. Expert Rev Med Devices 2016; 13:919-931. [DOI: 10.1080/17434440.2016.1237287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- H. Christiaan Stronks
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Smart Vision Systems Research Group, Data61, CSIRO, Canberra, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Ellen B. Mitchell
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Nick Barnes
- Smart Vision Systems Research Group, Data61, CSIRO, Canberra, Australia
- Research School of Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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9
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Improving training for sensory augmentation using the science of expertise. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 68:234-244. [PMID: 27264831 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Revised: 05/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Sensory substitution and augmentation devices (SSADs) allow users to perceive information about their environment that is usually beyond their sensory capabilities. Despite an extensive history, SSADs are arguably not used to their fullest, both as assistive technology for people with sensory impairment or as research tools in the psychology and neuroscience of sensory perception. Studies of the non-use of other assistive technologies suggest one factor is the balance of benefits gained against the costs incurred. We argue that improving the learning experience would improve this balance, suggest three ways in which it can be improved by leveraging existing cognitive science findings on expertise and skill development, and acknowledge limitations and relevant concerns. We encourage the systematic evaluation of learning programs, and suggest that a more effective learning process for SSADs could reduce the barrier to uptake and allow users to reach higher levels of overall capacity.
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