scholarly journals Typical resting state activity of the brain requires visual input during an early sensitive period

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Rączy ◽  
Cordula Hölig ◽  
Maria J. S. Guerreiro ◽  
Sunitha Lingareddy ◽  
Ramesh Kekunnaya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Congenital Cataract ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
State Activity ◽  
Congenitally Blind ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Blind Individuals

Sensory deprivation, following a total loss of one sensory modality e.g. vision, has been demonstrated to result in intra- and cross-modal plasticity. It is yet not known to which extent intra- and cross-modal plasticity as a consequence of blindness reverse if sight is restored. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to acquire blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) resting state activity during an eyes open and an eyes closed state in congenital cataract-reversal individuals, developmental cataract-reversal individuals, congenitally permanently blind individuals and sighted controls. The amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of the BOLD signal - a neural marker of spontaneous brain activity during rest - was analyzed. As has been shown before, in normally sighted controls we observed an increase in ALFF during rest with the eyes open compared to rest with eyes closed in visual association areas and in parietal cortex but a decrease in auditory and sensorimotor regions. In congenital cataract-reversal individuals, we found an increase of the amplitude of slow BOLD fluctuations in visual cortex during rest with eyes open compared to rest with eyes closed too but this increase was larger in amplitude than in normally sighted controls. At the same time, congenital cataract-reversal individuals lagged a similar increase in parietal regions and did not show the typical decrease of ALFF in auditory and sensorimotor cortex. Congenitally blind individuals displayed an overall higher amplitude in slow BOLD fluctuations in visual cortex compared to sighted individuals and compared to congenital cataract-reversal individuals in the eyes closed condition. Higher ALFF in visual cortex of congenital cataract-reversal individuals than in normally sighted controls during eyes open might indicate an altered excitatory-inhibitory balance of visual neural circuits. By contrast, the lower parietal increase and the missing downregulation in auditory and sensorimotor regions suggest a reduced influence of the visual system on multisensory and the remaining sensory systems after restoring sight in congenitally blind individuals. These results demonstrate a crucial dependence of multisensory neural networks on visual experience during a sensitive phase in human brain development.

scholarly journals The effect of congenital blindness on resting-state functional connectivity revisited

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria J. S. Guerreiro ◽  
Madita Linke ◽  
Sunitha Lingareddy ◽  
Ramesh Kekunnaya ◽  
Brigitte Röder
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Visual Experience ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
State Condition ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Congenital Blindness ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Congenitally Blind ◽  
Eyes Open

AbstractLower resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between ‘visual’ and non-‘visual’ neural circuits has been reported as a hallmark of congenital blindness. In sighted individuals, RSFC between visual and non-visual brain regions has been shown to increase during rest with eyes closed relative to rest with eyes open. To determine the role of visual experience on the modulation of RSFC by resting state condition—as well as to evaluate the effect of resting state condition on group differences in RSFC—, we compared RSFC between visual and somatosensory/auditory regions in congenitally blind individuals (n = 9) and sighted participants (n = 9) during eyes open and eyes closed conditions. In the sighted group, we replicated the increase of RSFC between visual and non-visual areas during rest with eyes closed relative to rest with eyes open. This was not the case in the congenitally blind group, resulting in a lower RSFC between ‘visual’ and non-‘visual’ circuits relative to sighted controls only in the eyes closed condition. These results indicate that visual experience is necessary for the modulation of RSFC by resting state condition and highlight the importance of considering whether sighted controls should be tested with eyes open or closed in studies of functional brain reorganization as a consequence of blindness.

scholarly journals Functional connectivity between the thalamus and visual cortex under eyes closed and eyes open conditions: A resting-state fMRI study

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 3066-3078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qihong Zou ◽  
Xiangyu Long ◽  
Xinian Zuo ◽  
Chaogan Yan ◽  
Chaozhe Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Eyes Open

scholarly journals Changes in thalamocortical connectivity as a potential mechanism of cross-modal plasticity in congenitally blind individuals

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theo Marins ◽  
Maite Russo ◽  
Erika Rodrigues ◽  
jorge Moll ◽  
Daniel Felix ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Congenitally Blind ◽  
Blind Individuals ◽  
Neuroimaging Techniques

ABSTRACTEvidence of cross-modal plasticity in blind individuals has been reported over the past decades showing that non-visual information is carried and processed by classical “visual” brain structures. This feature of the blind brain makes it a pivotal model to explore the limits and mechanisms of brain plasticity. However, despite recent efforts, the structural underpinnings that could explain cross-modal plasticity in congenitally blind individuals remain unclear. Using advanced neuroimaging techniques, we mapped the thalamocortical connectivity and assessed cortical thickness and integrity of white matter of congenitally blind individuals and sighted controls to test the hypothesis that aberrant thalamocortical pattern of connectivity can pave the way for cross-modal plasticity. We described a direct occipital takeover by the temporal projections from the thalamus, which would carry non-visual information (e.g. auditory) to the visual cortex in congenitally blinds. In addition, the amount of thalamo-occipital connectivity correlated with the cortical thickness of primary visual cortex (V1), supporting a probably common (or related) reorganization phenomena. Our results suggest that aberrant thalamocortical connectivity as one possible mechanism of cross-modal plasticity in blinds, with potential impact on cortical thickness of V1.SIGNIFICANT STATEMENTCongenitally blind individuals often develop greater abilities on spared sensory modalities, such as increased acuity in auditory discrimination and voice recognition, when compared to sighted controls. These functional gains have been shown to rely on ‘visual’ cortical areas of the blind brain, characterizing the phenomenon of cross-modal plasticity. However, its anatomical underpinnings in humans have been unsuccessfully pursued for decades. Recent advances of non-invasive neuroimaging techniques allowed us to test the hypothesis of abnormal thalamocortical connectivity in congenitally blinds. Our results showed an expansion of the thalamic connections to the temporal cortex over those that project to the occipital cortex, which may explain, the cross-talk between the visual and auditory systems in congenitally blind individuals.

scholarly journals A Pilot Study Investigating a Novel Non-Linear Measure of Eyes Open versus Eyes Closed EEG Synchronization in People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Healthy Controls

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Blackburn ◽  
Yifan Zhao ◽  
Matteo De Marco ◽  
Simon Bell ◽  
Fei He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Linear Measure ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Causality Test ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Eyes Open

Background: The incidence of Alzheimer disease (AD) is increasing with the ageing population. The development of low cost non-invasive diagnostic aids for AD is a research priority. This pilot study investigated whether an approach based on a novel dynamic quantitative parametric EEG method could detect abnormalities in people with AD. Methods: 20 patients with probable AD, 20 matched healthy controls (HC) and 4 patients with probable fronto temporal dementia (FTD) were included. All had detailed neuropsychology along with structural, resting state fMRI and EEG. EEG data were analyzed using the Error Reduction Ratio-causality (ERR-causality) test that can capture both linear and nonlinear interactions between different EEG recording areas. The 95% confidence intervals of EEG levels of bi-centroparietal synchronization were estimated for eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) states. Results: In the EC state, AD patients and HC had very similar levels of bi-centro parietal synchronization; but in the EO resting state, patients with AD had significantly higher levels of synchronization (AD = 0.44; interquartile range (IQR) 0.41 vs. HC = 0.15; IQR 0.17, p < 0.0001). The EO/EC synchronization ratio, a measure of the dynamic changes between the two states, also showed significant differences between these two groups (AD ratio 0.78 versus HC ratio 0.37 p < 0.0001). EO synchronization was also significantly different between AD and FTD (FTD = 0.075; IQR 0.03, p < 0.0001). However, the EO/EC ratio was not informative in the FTD group due to very low levels of synchronization in both states (EO and EC). Conclusion: In this pilot work, resting state quantitative EEG shows significant differences between healthy controls and patients with AD. This approach has the potential to develop into a useful non-invasive and economical diagnostic aid in AD.

scholarly journals Mental Imagery Follows Similar Cortical Reorganization as Perception: Intra-Modal and Cross-Modal Plasticity in Congenitally Blind

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 2859-2875 ◽  
Author(s):  
A W de Borst ◽  
B de Gelder
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Mental Imagery ◽  
Cortical Plasticity ◽  
Tactile Perception ◽  
Cortical Reorganization ◽  
Area V4 ◽  
Congenitally Blind ◽  
Early Visual Cortex ◽  
Blind Individuals ◽  
Discriminative Patterns

Abstract Cortical plasticity in congenitally blind individuals leads to cross-modal activation of the visual cortex and may lead to superior perceptual processing in the intact sensory domains. Although mental imagery is often defined as a quasi-perceptual experience, it is unknown whether it follows similar cortical reorganization as perception in blind individuals. In this study, we show that auditory versus tactile perception evokes similar intra-modal discriminative patterns in congenitally blind compared with sighted participants. These results indicate that cortical plasticity following visual deprivation does not influence broad intra-modal organization of auditory and tactile perception as measured by our task. Furthermore, not only the blind, but also the sighted participants showed cross-modal discriminative patterns for perception modality in the visual cortex. During mental imagery, both groups showed similar decoding accuracies for imagery modality in the intra-modal primary sensory cortices. However, no cross-modal discriminative information for imagery modality was found in early visual cortex of blind participants, in contrast to the sighted participants. We did find evidence of cross-modal activation of higher visual areas in blind participants, including the representation of specific-imagined auditory features in visual area V4.

scholarly journals Resting state connectivity differences in eyes open versus eyes closed conditions

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 2488-2498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oktay Agcaoglu ◽  
Tony W. Wilson ◽  
Yu‐Ping Wang ◽  
Julia Stephen ◽  
Vince D. Calhoun
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Open Versus ◽  
Resting State Connectivity

scholarly journals Dynamic Resting-State Connectivity Differences in Eyes Open Versus Eyes Closed Conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 504-519
Author(s):  
Oktay Agcaoglu ◽  
Tony W. Wilson ◽  
Yu-Ping Wang ◽  
Julia M. Stephen ◽  
Vince D. Calhoun
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Open Versus ◽  
Resting State Connectivity

scholarly journals Impact of Global Mean Normalization on Regional Glucose Metabolism in the Human Brain

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristian N. Mortensen ◽  
Albert Gjedde ◽  
Garth J. Thompson ◽  
Peter Herman ◽  
Maxime J. Parent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Glucose Metabolism ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Disease Biomarkers ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Congenitally Blind ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Global Mean

Because the human brain consumes a disproportionate fraction of the resting body’s energy, positron emission tomography (PET) measurements of absolute glucose metabolism (CMRglc) can serve as disease biomarkers. Global mean normalization (GMN) of PET data reveals disease-based differences from healthy individuals as fractional changes across regions relative to a global mean. To assess the impact of GMN applied to metabolic data, we compared CMRglc with and without GMN in healthy awake volunteers with eyes closed (i.e., control) against specific physiological/clinical states, including healthy/awake with eyes open, healthy/awake but congenitally blind, healthy/sedated with anesthetics, and patients with disorders of consciousness. Without GMN, global CMRglc alterations compared to control were detected in all conditions except in congenitally blind where regional CMRglc variations were detected in the visual cortex. However, GMN introduced regional and bidirectional CMRglc changes at smaller fractions of the quantitative delocalized changes. While global information was lost with GMN, the quantitative approach (i.e., a validated method for quantitative baseline metabolic activity without GMN) not only preserved global CMRglc alterations induced by opening eyes, sedation, and varying consciousness but also detected regional CMRglc variations in the congenitally blind. These results caution the use of GMN upon PET-measured CMRglc data in health and disease.

scholarly journals Generic Properties of Curvature Sensing through Vision and Touch

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgitta Dresp-Langley
Keyword(s):  
Power Law ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Generic Properties ◽  
Scale Invariant ◽  
Curvature Sensing ◽  
Mathematical Properties ◽  
Universal Power Law ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Congenitally Blind ◽  
Blind Individuals

Generic properties of curvature representations formed on the basis of vision and touch were examined as a function of mathematical properties of curved objects. Virtual representations of the curves were shown on a computer screen for visual scaling by sighted observers (experiment 1). Their physical counterparts were placed in the two hands of blindfolded and congenitally blind observers for tactile scaling. The psychophysical data show that curvature representations in congenitally blind individuals, who never had any visual experience, and in sighted observers, who rely on vision most of the time, are statistically linked to the same mathematical properties of the curves. The perceived magnitude of object curvature, sensed through either vision or touch, is related by a mathematical power law, with similar exponents for the two sensory modalities, to the aspect ratio of the curves, a scale invariant geometric property. This finding supports biologically motivated models of sensory integration suggesting a universal power law for the adaptive brain control and balance of motor responses to environmental stimuli from any sensory modality.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document