Cortical basis of binocular depth perception

摘要 视觉系统的功能特性对正常视力的破坏最敏感 发展的“关键时期”。有趣的是，几种功能特性的临界期，如眼睛 主导性和敏锐性，在发展过程中重叠。在这些重叠的关键时期，视力异常， 例如，由于白内障或两只眼睛的错位，是导致弱视的原因。弱视是一种 儿童普遍存在的视力障碍，可出现包括视力低下在内的任何一种视力问题 视力和深度知觉受损。然而，视觉异常是如何影响深度知觉的，这一问题一直存在。 难以捉摸。在提出的研究中，我们研究了深度发展和可塑性的电路基础。 老鼠的感知能力。立体视觉的发展比其他特征要慢得多 视觉和依赖于双眼视差的复杂属性。眼睛之间的视差是产生 对深度的感知。我们将通过以下方式来表征其发展和可塑性的多个维度 依靠双目视觉的自然深度辨别任务的优势。在同一时期，我们 将用双光子显微镜测量复杂的视差特性是如何在视觉皮质和 Lm区(次级双目视觉区域)，以及他们如何以及何时对异常视力敏感。 了解双目深度知觉的特性以及这些特性的发展将提供 开发治疗弱视等发育性视觉障碍的治疗方法的基础 这会导致立体视觉缺陷。

Abstract The functional properties of the visual system are most sensitive to disruptions of normal vision during developmental ‘critical periods’. Interestingly, the critical periods for several functional properties, such as ocular dominance and acuity, overlap during development. Abnormal vision during these overlapping critical periods, because of cataracts or misalignment of the two eyes for example, is the cause of amblyopia. Amblyopia is a prevalent visual disorder in children and can present with any of several visual problems including lower visual acuity and impaired depth perception. Yet, how depth perception is affected by abnormal vision has remained elusive. In the proposed research, we investigate the circuit basis for the development and plasticity of depth perception in the mouse. The development of stereoscopic vision is much slower than other characteristics of vision and relies on complex properties of binocular disparity. Disparity between the eyes is what produces the perception of depth. We will characterize multiple dimensions of its development and plasticity by taking advantage of a natural depth discrimination task that depends on binocular vision. Over this same period, we will measure with two-photon microscopy how complex disparity properties are refined in the visual cortex and area LM (a secondary binocular visual area), as well as how and when they are sensitive to abnormal vision. Understanding the properties of binocular depth perception and the development of those properties will provide a foundation for developing therapeutic approaches to treat developmental visual disorders such as amblyopia that cause stereovision deficits.