Primary visual cortex plasticity following central vision loss

 描述(申请人提供)：老年性黄斑变性是一种在美国影响近200万人的疾病，其特征是视网膜死亡 黄斑中的组织，视网膜中调节中央视觉的区域。由此导致的细胞损失往往会导致严重的视觉功能障碍。然而，许多黄斑变性患者学习使用他们多余的周边视觉来完成阅读等视觉任务，而健康的视力参与者会使用黄斑。目前尚不清楚视网膜以外结构的解剖和功能如何有助于周边视力的代偿性改善。该项目的总体目标是了解周边视力代偿性改善后初级视觉皮质的变化。具体地说，本研究将研究中枢视力丧失后初级视觉皮质的结构和功能联系。为此，我们将使用结构和功能磁共振成像来研究黄斑变性参与者的皮质。然后将这些数据与年龄、性别和教育程度相匹配的正常视力对照进行比较。我们的中心假设是，初级视觉皮质的结构(目标1)和功能连接(目标2)在视力丧失后发生改变，这与周围视力的代偿性改善是一致的。这些目标将在Kristina Visscher博士和Cynthia Owsley博士赞助的正式培训计划的背景下实现。这个培训计划包括研究、课程和职业发展活动，这些活动最终将把我培养成一名独立的认知神经学家。研究-培训计划将侧重于调查结构和 中枢视力丧失后初级视皮层的功能联系。培训计划还将包括视觉科学系的视觉神经科学课程，以及研究生院提供的研究伦理和撰写科学论文的课程。此外，培训计划将把重点放在职业发展上，包括：会议演讲、在同行评议出版物上发表科学文章，以及每月就如何准备成为一名独立认知神经学家的下一阶段进行讨论。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Age-related macular degeneration, a disease that affects nearly 2 million individuals in the United States, is characterized by the death of retinal tissue in the macula, the area of the retina that mediates central vision. The resulting loss of cells often leads to profound deficits in visual function. However, many individuals with macular degeneration learn to use their spared peripheral vision for visual tasks such as reading, for which healthy vision participants would use the macula. It is unclear how the anatomy and function of structures beyond the retina contribute to this compensatory improvement in peripheral vision. This project's overall goal is to understand how primary visual cortex changes following this compensatory improvement in peripheral vision. Specifically, this study will investigate the structure and functional connections of primary visual cortex following central vision loss. To do this, we will use structural and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to investigate the cortex in participants with macular degeneration. These data will then be compared to age, gender, and education matched normally sighted controls. Our central hypothesis is that the structure (Aim 1) and functional connections (Aim 2) of primary visual cortex are modified after vision loss, in a way that is consistent with compensatory improvement in peripheral vision. These aims will be accomplished in the context of a formal training plan, sponsored by Drs. Kristina Visscher and Cynthia Owsley. This training plan includes research, coursework, and career development activities that will ultimately train me to be an independent cognitive neuroscientist. The research-training plan will focus on investigating the structural and functional connections of primary visual cortex following central vision loss. The training plan wil also include coursework on visual neuroscience from the department of Vision Science as well as classes offered by the Graduate School on research ethics and writing scientific papers. Additionally, the training plan will have a focus on career development including: conference presentations, scientific writing in peer reviewed publications, and monthly discussions on how to prepare for the next state of my journey to becoming an independent cognitive neuroscientist.