Optical and electrophysiological techniques for functional assessment of vision system neuronal networks

Abstract

We studied the two major channels of the vision system, which differ not only in their spatial-frequency characteristics but also in the sizes of the cellular structures that support the corresponding neuronal networks. We used a combination of optical and electrophysiological techniques to measure the properties of these channels in normal test subjects and in patients with various types of cognitive impairment. For electrophysiological measurements, a digital filter was used to generate stimuli with spatial-frequency responses for selective activation of each channel. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and electrophysiological measurements in test subjects with various types of cognitive impairment were used to determine the relationship between morphological and functional changes in the vision system channel, which is primarily formed by the small-cell neuronal network and supports processing of high spatial frequencies.