Multisensory Pathways and Plasticity Following Partial and Full Vision Loss

项目摘要 众所周知，视觉皮质会改变其功能图，并在下列情况下与其他皮质区域连接 部分或全部视力丧失，包括明显的fi不能在其他感官如听力中改变用途。是什么 目前尚不清楚这种跨模式入侵是否改变了多模式通路和多感觉整合 各种感官。此外，还不知道在什么情况下视力损失(如中央视力损失 年龄相关性黄斑变性，视网膜色素变性周边视力丧失，或完全视力丧失 多种原因)促进(或抑制)多感官整合，以及这些变化是否有所不同 与视网膜位置有关。这些知识对于开发更完整的多感官理论模型至关重要。 融合；更好地评估视力丧失者的康复潜力；为 开发先进的视网膜假体、感官辅助设备和感官替代设备；并开发 视觉恢复后最佳的多感官训练和康复范例。 为此，我们建议确定听觉-视觉(A-V)的空间和时间特征。 视力低下者的整合(SPECIfic Aim 1)。更具体地说，我们将使用一组视听 错觉作为一种心理物理工具来确定不同视网膜位置的房室整合程度 中心凹偏心和接近视力丧失区域的一种功能。我们还建议 检测视力低下者和晚期盲人的视觉加工和跨模式整合的可行性 通过使用A-V错觉和心理意象(SPECIfic Aim 2)。我们将确定多感官是否 来自想象的视觉刺激的整合可以与真实的听觉刺激整合在一起，在晚期盲人中进行改变 听觉刺激的知觉位置，包括听觉在水平面和平面上的空间知觉 深度。这两个目标的结果将提供对听觉-视觉的关键特征的评估 盲人和低视力者的相互作用，并将识别这些多感官相互作用的差异 这些都是导致视力丧失的特有的fic。我们还计划确定这种交叉模式的神经关联。 使用功能磁共振成像的交互和整合(SPECIfic Aim 3)。我们将检查视觉上的主要差异 皮层活动，以及听觉、视觉和多感觉皮质之间的连接模式，通过 将视力低下和迟发性失明的参与者与有视力的对照组进行比较。 全面了解低视力和迟发性盲人的多感觉加工能力 个人将对人脑功能重组的后果提供至关重要的见解， 还将为先进的多感官辅助设备、视觉假体和康复方案铺平道路。

Project Summary The visual cortex is known to change its functional map and connectivity with other cortical regions following partial or full vision loss, including significant repurposing among the other senses such as audition. What is unclear is whether such crossmodal incursion alters the multimodal pathways and multisensory integration of the various senses. Also, it is not yet known under what vision loss conditions (such as central vision loss with Age-Related Macular Degeneration, peripheral vision loss with Retinitis Pigmentosa, or full vision loss due to numerous causes) multisensory integration is facilitated (or suppressed), and whether these changes vary with retinal location. Such knowledge is critical to develop a more complete theoretical model of multisensory integration; to better evaluate potential for rehabilitation in those with vision loss; to provide a solid basis for the development of advanced retinal prostheses, sensory aids, and sensory substitution devices; and to develop optimal multisensory training and rehabilitation paradigms following visual restoration. To this end, we propose to determine the spatial and temporal characteristics of auditory-visual (A-V) integration in individuals with low vision (Specific Aim 1). More specifically, we will use a set of auditory-visual illusions as a psychophysical tool to determine the degree of A-V integration in various retinal locations as a function of both eccentricity from the fovea and proximity to regions of visual loss. We also propose to examine the viability of visual processing and crossmodal integration in those with low vision and the late blind by employing both A-V illusions and mental imagery (Specific Aim 2). We will determine whether multisensory integration from imagined visual stimuli can integrate with real auditory stimuli in the late blind to change the perceived location of auditory stimuli, including auditory spatial perception in the horizontal plane and in depth. The results from these two aims will provide an assessment of the key characteristics of auditory-visual interactions in the blind and those with low vision, and will identify differences in these multisensory interactions that are specific to the cause of vision loss. We also plan to identify the neural correlates of such crossmodal interactions and integrations using fMRI imaging (Specific Aim 3). We will examine key differences in visual cortical activity, as well as the connectivity patterns among auditory, visual, and multisensory cortices, by comparing low vision and late blind participants with sighted controls. A comprehensive understanding of the multisensory processing capabilities of low vision and late blind individuals will provide crucial insights into the consequences of functional reorganization in the human brain, and will also pave the way for advanced multisensory aids, visual prostheses, and rehabilitation protocols.