Functional magnetic resonance imaging mirrors recovery of visual perception after repetitive tachistoscopic stimulation in patients with partial cortical blindness

2003 ◽  
Vol 335 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burkhard Pleger ◽  
Ann-Freya Foerster ◽  
Walter Widdig ◽  
Markus Henschel ◽  
Volkmar Nicolas ◽  
...  
Psichologija ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 7-18
Author(s):  
Randolph Blake ◽  
Sang-Hun Lee ◽  
David Heeger

Tirdami regimąjį suvokimą geštaltpsichologai buvo sužavėti vykstančių procesų kaitos (dinamikos). Jie suformulavo hipotezę, kad procesų kaita atspindi nuolatinį elektrinių signalų sklidimą anatomiškai struktūruotoje elektrai laidžioje smegenų terpėje (lauke). Šia teorija, vadinama dinaminio lauko teorija, vėliau buvo suabejota, nes buvo pastebėta, kad smegenys elektriniu požiūriu nėra homogeniška terpė. Jos susideda iš atskirų diskrečių elementų, atliekančių sudėtingus skaičiavimus, sujungtų tarpusavyje daugybe ryšių ir sudarančių neuronų tinklą. Tačiau šis naujas šiuolaikinis požiūris į smegenų funkcijas susiduria su sunkumais, mėginant paaiškinti suvokimo procesų kitimą erdvėje ir laike. Tirdami suvokimo ir smegenų žievės dinaminius procesus, pagrindinį dėmesį skyrėme dominuojančių procesų (konkurencijos metu) kaitai erdvėje ir laike. Sukūrėme psichofizinių metodų, kuriais būtų galima sukelti ir išmatuoti minėtų procesų kaitą ir taikėme funkcinio magnetinio rezonanso vizualizavimo (fMRI) metodą su šiais procesais susijusiam neuronų aktyvumui išmatuoti. Gauti rezultatai atskleidė pirminės ir antrinės regimosios žievės pakaušio srityje aktyvumo bangų retinotopinį sklidimą, kuris koreliuoja su suvokiamo dominuojančio vaizdo bangos sklidimu abiakės konkurencijos metu. Šiame straipsnyje apžvelgiami minėtų eksperimentų rezultatai. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: abiakė rega, vaizdų konkurencija, regimoji žievė, funkcinis magnetinis rezonansas, neuroninių procesų kaita (dinamika).Binocular Rivalry and Neutral DynamicsRandolph Blake, Sang-Hun Lee, David Heeger SummaryThe Gestalt psychologists were fascinated with dynamics evident in visual perception, and they theorized that these dynamics were attributable to ever-changing electrical potentials within topographically organized brain fields. Dynamic field theory, as it was called, was subsequently discredited on grounds that the brain does not comprise a unitary electrical field but, instead, a richly interconnected network of discrete computing elements. Still, this modern conceptualization of brain function faces thechallenge of explaining the fact that perception is dynamic in space and in time. To pursue the question of visual perception and cortical dynamics, we have focused on spatio-temporal transitions in dominance during binocular rivalry. We have developed techniques for initiating and measuring these transitions psychophysically and for measuring their neural concomitants using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Our findings disclose the existence of waves of cortical activity that travel across the retinotopic maps that define primary and secondary visual areas within occipital cortex, in correspondence with the subjective perception of spreading waves of dominance during binocular rivalry. This paper reviews the results from those studies.Key words: binocular vision, binocular rivalry, visual cortex, fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), dynamic of neuronal process.


Author(s):  
Annika Lind ◽  
Leena Haataja ◽  
Marja Laasonen ◽  
Virva Saunavaara ◽  
Henry Railo ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: Impairments in visual perception are among the most common developmental difficulties related to being born prematurely, and they are often accompanied by problems in other developmental domains. Neural activation in participants born prematurely and full-term during tasks that assess several areas of visual perception has not been studied. To better understand the neural substrates of the visual perceptual impairments, we compared behavioral performance and brain activations during visual perception tasks in adolescents born very preterm (birth weight ≤1500 g or gestational age <32 weeks) and full-term. Methods: Tasks assessing visual closure, discrimination of a deviating figure, and discrimination of figure and ground from the Motor-Free Visual Perception Test, Third Edition were performed by participants born very preterm (n = 37) and full-term (n = 34) at 12 years of age during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Behavioral performance in the visual perception tasks did not differ between the groups. However, during the visual closure task, brain activation was significantly stronger in the group born very preterm in a number of areas including the frontal, anterior cingulate, temporal, and posterior medial parietal/cingulate cortices, as well as in parts of the cerebellum, thalamus, and caudate nucleus. Conclusions: Differing activations during the visual closure task potentially reflect a compensatory neural process related to premature birth or lesser neural efficiency or may be a result of the use of compensatory behavioral strategies in the study group born very preterm.


1998 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 538-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean C. Huckins ◽  
Christopher W. Turner ◽  
Karen A. Doherty ◽  
Michael M. Fonte ◽  
Nikolaus M. Szeverenyi

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) holds exciting potential as a research and clinical tool for exploring the human auditory system. This noninvasive technique allows the measurement of discrete changes in cerebral cortical blood flow in response to sensory stimuli, allowing determination of precise neuroanatomical locations of the underlying brain parenchymal activity. Application of fMRI in auditory research, however, has been limited. One problem is that fMRI utilizing echo-planar imaging technology (EPI) generates intense noise that could potentially affect the results of auditory experiments. Also, issues relating to the reliability of fMRI for listeners with normal hearing need to be resolved before this technique can be used to study listeners with hearing loss. This preliminary study examines the feasibility of using fMRI in auditory research by performing a simple set of experiments to test the reliability of scanning parameters that use a high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio unlike that presently reported in the literature. We used consonant-vowel (CV) speech stimuli to investigate whether or not we could observe reproducible and consistent changes in cortical blood flow in listeners during a single scanning session, across more than one scanning session, and in more than one listener. In addition, we wanted to determine if there were differences between CV speech and nonspeech complex stimuli across listeners. Our study shows reproducibility within and across listeners for CV speech stimuli. Results were reproducible for CV speech stimuli within fMRI scanning sessions for 5 out of 9 listeners and were reproducible for 6 out of 8 listeners across fMRI scanning sessions. Results of nonspeech complex stimuli across listeners showed activity in 4 out of 9 individuals tested.


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