Abstract
Disorders that specifically affect central and peripheral vision constitute invaluable models to study how the human brain adapts to visual deafferentation. We explored cortical changes after the loss of central or peripheral vision. Cortical thickness (CoTks) and resting-state cortical entropy (rs-CoEn), as a surrogate for neural and synaptic complexity, were extracted in 12 Stargardt macular dystrophy, 12 retinitis pigmentosa (tunnel vision stage), and 14 normally sighted subjects. When compared to controls, both groups with visual loss exhibited decreased CoTks in dorsal area V3d. Peripheral visual field loss also showed a specific CoTks decrease in early visual cortex and ventral area V4, while central visual field loss in dorsal area V3A. Only central visual field loss exhibited increased CoEn in LO-2 area and FG1. Current results revealed biomarkers of brain plasticity within the dorsal and the ventral visual streams following central and peripheral visual field defects.
Highlights
Vision represents the most elaborated sensory input in the human brain
We investigated long-term brain changes associated with two well-described pure and progressive retinal disorders that induce bilateral, converse visual field defects—Stargardt macular degeneration for central visual loss and non-syndromic retinitis pigmentosa for peripheral visual field loss
Compared to normally sighted we found in central visual field defect/ Stargardt macular dystrophy (SMD) group a significant increase of resting-state cortical entropy (rs-CoEn) in areas hOc4la (p = 0.031) and FG1 (p = 0.025)
Summary
Central vision is captured at retinal level by the macula, which samples about 20° of the central visual field and provides a high spatial resolution. 10 Centre de Neuroimagerie, Centre Hospitalier National d’Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, 75012 Paris, France. 11 Institute of Ophthalmology, University College of London, London, UK. 14 Groupe d’Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, CNRS, CEA University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France. Brain Structure and Function (2018) 223:3473–3485 visual field is collected by the remaining of the retina and has a low spatial resolution. The distinction between central and peripheral vision is maintained within the brain. The loss of central or peripheral visual field should impair in different ways the visual brain and its neuroanatomy. Little is known about the anatomical consequences and compensation mechanisms occurring after central or peripheral visual deprivation
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