December 2013
Volume 13, Issue 15
Free
OSA Fall Vision Meeting Abstract  |   October 2013
Connective field estimates in the cortical lesion project zone of individuals with macular degeneration
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Koen V. Haak
    Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
  • Antony B. Morland
    Department of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
  • Frans W. Cornelissen
    University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
  • Footnotes
     Moderator: Alyssa Brewer, University of California, Irvine
  • Footnotes
     The structure and function of visual cortex can be revealed with neuroimaging techniques that eschew visual stimulation itself. These studies reveal fundamental principles of cortical organization absent the imposed correlational structure of visual stimuli. In addition to basic science characterization, the techniques have enormous practical applications, from simplifying studies of normative visual processing to providing a translational avenue to patients with visual impairments and fixation deficits that preclude traditional retinotopic mapping techniques.
Journal of Vision October 2013, Vol.13, T11. doi:https://doi.org/10.1167/13.15.11
  • Views
  • Share
  • Tools
    • Alerts
      ×
      This feature is available to authenticated users only.
      Sign In or Create an Account ×
    • Get Citation

      Koen V. Haak, Antony B. Morland, Frans W. Cornelissen; Connective field estimates in the cortical lesion project zone of individuals with macular degeneration. Journal of Vision 2013;13(15):T11. https://doi.org/10.1167/13.15.11.

      Download citation file:


      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

      ×
  • Supplements
Abstract
 

Connective field modeling refers to a new functional MRI data-analysis that extends the model-based procedure of estimating a voxel's population receptive field (pRF) towards an estimation of a voxel's connective field—just as the pRF predicts the activity of a voxel as a function of visual field position, the connective field of a voxel predicts the activity as a function on the cortical surface. Unlike the stimulus-referred pRF, the neural-referred connective field also captures the brain activity that occurs in the absence of visual stimulation. This feature is important, because it allows for evaluating the topographic organization of visual brain areas that cannot be visually stimulated. Here, we apply connective field modeling to examine the topography of the cortical lesion projection zone (LPZ) in individuals with bilateral retinal lesions due to macular degeneration (MD). By definition, the LPZ cannot be visually stimulated, so the topography of the LPZ can only be inferred from spontaneous brain activity. We find that the connective fields inside the LPZ are still topographically organized, but less so than in controls with simulated retinal lesions. However, we also find that the decreased connective field topography in MD is largely dependent on fixation instability. These results suggest, therefore, that the topographic configuration of the LPZ remains largely intact despite the prolonged loss of visual input following MD. This result is reassuring, because it means that future treatments aimed at restoring the retina would probably not require accounting for the potential of brain changes following prolonged visual deprivation.

 
×
×

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

Sign in or purchase a subscription to access this content. ×

You must be signed into an individual account to use this feature.

×