Restoring Sight to the Blind: Neural Imaging with Retinal Prostheses

项目总结-恢复盲人视力：视网膜假体的神经成像 视网膜假体通过电刺激视网膜中仍有活力的细胞恢复视力。 视网膜。这些设备由连接到视网膜的微刺激器阵列组成，该微刺激器由视频驱动 从安装在眼镜上的摄像头输入。视网膜假体已被证明可以恢复基本视力 形状识别和初级导航等功能。然而，患者表现出 视觉技能差异很大，目前达不到预期的视觉能力。 这项研究中提出的博士后研究重点是解释这些患者的局限性。 通过研究失明时发生的感觉重组。神经重组过程中 失明使听觉和触觉任务能够在视觉大脑区域进行处理。这种类型的 大脑感觉区域的重组被证明是使用耳蜗的一个关键限制因素 植入物用于人工试听。在这项提案的目标1和目标2中，诺埃尔·斯泰尔斯博士将评估失明- 视网膜假体患者神经成像诱导的皮质重组和适应 反过来，可以更好地选择患者进行视力恢复。 斯泰尔斯博士的博士后工作也专注于研究人工视觉的相互作用 有自然的感官，比如试镜。她的研究已经表明，人工视觉 影响听觉定位的方式类似于自然视觉对听力的影响。在《目标3》中，她 将扩展这项研究以确定增强的听觉和触觉知觉 在恢复视力后，失明被保留或减少。该项目将提供一个 对盲脑重组和人工视觉的影响有更全面的了解。 目标1将在K99阶段完成(试点数据收集完成)。目标2和目标3 将继续进行K99和R00阶段，以便进行研究员培训和数据试验。 这项拟议的研究旨在为斯泰尔斯博士成功过渡到终身教职做好准备。 跟踪教职员工的位置。她将接受结构神经成像数据收集、处理、 和石永刚教授的可视化。她还将接受眼科视网膜成像方面的培训 由她在南加州大学的主要导师Vivek R.Patel教授和她的合作导师在生物医学工程方面 密歇根大学的詹姆斯·D·韦兰德教授。所有这些领域都是视觉研究的关键 假肢。她将接受包括教授在内的咨询委员会的指导。马克·S·胡马云，亚瑟 W.Toga和石永刚。南加州大学和密歇根大学都植入了视网膜假体， 包括临床医生、工程师和视觉神经学家在内的行为测试项目 最先进的神经成像设施，使它们成为进行这项研究的理想地点。

Project Summary – Restoring Sight to the Blind: Neural Imaging with Retinal Prostheses Retinal prostheses restore sight to the blind by electrically stimulating still viable cells in the retina. These devices consist of a microstimulator array attached to the retina that is driven by video input from a glasses-mounted camera. Retinal prostheses have been shown to restore basic visual functions such as the recognition of shapes and rudimentary navigation. However, patients show significant variability in visual skills, and currently fall short of expected visual capabilities. The postdoctoral research proposed in this study focuses on explaining these patient limitations by investigating the sensory reorganization that occurs during blindness. Neural reorganization during blindness enables auditory and tactile tasks to be processed in visual brain regions. This type of reorganization in brain sensory regions was shown to be a key limiting factor in the use of the cochlear implant for artificial audition. In Aims 1 and 2 of this proposal, Dr. Noelle Stiles will evaluate blindness- induced cortical reorganization and adaptation with neural imaging in retinal prosthesis patients, which in turn could allow for better selection of patients for visual restoration. Dr. Stiles’ postdoctoral work is also focused on investigating the interaction of artificial vision with the natural senses, such as audition. Her research has already shown that artificial vision influences auditory localization in ways similar to natural vision’s influence on audition. In Aim 3, she will expand this research to determine whether enhanced auditory and tactile perception developed during blindness are retained or reduced following the restoration of vision. This project will provide a more complete understanding of blind brain reorganization and the effects of artificial vision. Aim 1 will be completed during the K99 phase (pilot data collection is complete). Aims 2 and 3 will continue through the K99 and R00 phases, allowing for fellow training and data piloting. The proposed research is designed to prepare Dr. Stiles for successful transition to a tenure- track faculty position. She will receive training in structural neural imaging data collection, processing, and visualization from Prof. Yonggang Shi. She will also be trained in ophthalmological retinal imaging by her principal mentor Prof. Vivek R. Patel at USC, and in biomedical engineering by her co-mentor Prof. James D. Weiland at the University of Michigan. All of these fields are critical to the study of visual prostheses. She will be mentored by an advisory committee including Profs. Mark S. Humayun, Arthur W. Toga, and Yonggang Shi. Both USC and Michigan have retinal prosthesis implantation and behavioral testing programs involving clinicians, engineers, and visual neuroscientists, in addition to state of the art neuroimaging facilities, making them ideal locations for this research.