Gyrification in relation to cortical thickness in the congenitally blind
Greater cortical gyrification (GY) is linked with enhanced cognitive abilities and is also negatively related to cortical thickness (CT). Individuals who are congenitally blind (CB) exhibits remarkable functional brain plasticity which enables them to perform certain non-visual and cognitive tasks w...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-11-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.970878/full |
| _version_ | 1797984823452631040 |
|---|---|
| author | Isabel Arend Kenneth Yuen Kenneth Yuen Or Yizhar Or Yizhar Or Yizhar Daniel-Robert Chebat Daniel-Robert Chebat Amir Amedi |
| author_facet | Isabel Arend Kenneth Yuen Kenneth Yuen Or Yizhar Or Yizhar Or Yizhar Daniel-Robert Chebat Daniel-Robert Chebat Amir Amedi |
| author_sort | Isabel Arend |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Greater cortical gyrification (GY) is linked with enhanced cognitive abilities and is also negatively related to cortical thickness (CT). Individuals who are congenitally blind (CB) exhibits remarkable functional brain plasticity which enables them to perform certain non-visual and cognitive tasks with supranormal abilities. For instance, extensive training using touch and audition enables CB people to develop impressive skills and there is evidence linking these skills to cross-modal activations of primary visual areas. There is a cascade of anatomical, morphometric and functional-connectivity changes in non-visual structures, volumetric reductions in several components of the visual system, and CT is also increased in CB. No study to date has explored GY changes in this population, and no study has explored how variations in CT are related to GY changes in CB. T1-weighted 3D structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired to examine the effects of congenital visual deprivation in cortical structures in a healthy sample of 11 CB individuals (6 male) and 16 age-matched sighted controls (SC) (10 male). In this report, we show for the first time an increase in GY in several brain areas of CB individuals compared to SC, and a negative relationship between GY and CT in the CB brain in several different cortical areas. We discuss the implications of our findings and the contributions of developmental factors and synaptogenesis to the relationship between CT and GY in CB individuals compared to SC. F. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:07:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6b2c34a9b69142bbbad46f8c59581fd8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-453X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:07:47Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-6b2c34a9b69142bbbad46f8c59581fd82022-12-22T04:38:17ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2022-11-011610.3389/fnins.2022.970878970878Gyrification in relation to cortical thickness in the congenitally blindIsabel Arend0Kenneth Yuen1Kenneth Yuen2Or Yizhar3Or Yizhar4Or Yizhar5Daniel-Robert Chebat6Daniel-Robert Chebat7Amir Amedi8The Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, IsraelNeuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neuroscience, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center, Mainz, GermanyLeibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Mainz, GermanyThe Institute for Brain, Mind and Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, IsraelMax Planck Institute for Human Development, Research Group Adaptive Memory and Decision Making, Berlin, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, Navigation and Accessibility Research Center of Ariel University (NARCA), Ariel, IsraelVisual and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (VCN Lab), Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ariel University, Ariel, IsraelThe Institute for Brain, Mind and Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, IsraelGreater cortical gyrification (GY) is linked with enhanced cognitive abilities and is also negatively related to cortical thickness (CT). Individuals who are congenitally blind (CB) exhibits remarkable functional brain plasticity which enables them to perform certain non-visual and cognitive tasks with supranormal abilities. For instance, extensive training using touch and audition enables CB people to develop impressive skills and there is evidence linking these skills to cross-modal activations of primary visual areas. There is a cascade of anatomical, morphometric and functional-connectivity changes in non-visual structures, volumetric reductions in several components of the visual system, and CT is also increased in CB. No study to date has explored GY changes in this population, and no study has explored how variations in CT are related to GY changes in CB. T1-weighted 3D structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired to examine the effects of congenital visual deprivation in cortical structures in a healthy sample of 11 CB individuals (6 male) and 16 age-matched sighted controls (SC) (10 male). In this report, we show for the first time an increase in GY in several brain areas of CB individuals compared to SC, and a negative relationship between GY and CT in the CB brain in several different cortical areas. We discuss the implications of our findings and the contributions of developmental factors and synaptogenesis to the relationship between CT and GY in CB individuals compared to SC. F.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.970878/fullvisionvoxel-based morphometryMRIcortical thicknessgyrificationcongenital blindness |
| spellingShingle | Isabel Arend Kenneth Yuen Kenneth Yuen Or Yizhar Or Yizhar Or Yizhar Daniel-Robert Chebat Daniel-Robert Chebat Amir Amedi Gyrification in relation to cortical thickness in the congenitally blind Frontiers in Neuroscience vision voxel-based morphometry MRI cortical thickness gyrification congenital blindness |
| title | Gyrification in relation to cortical thickness in the congenitally blind |
| title_full | Gyrification in relation to cortical thickness in the congenitally blind |
| title_fullStr | Gyrification in relation to cortical thickness in the congenitally blind |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gyrification in relation to cortical thickness in the congenitally blind |
| title_short | Gyrification in relation to cortical thickness in the congenitally blind |
| title_sort | gyrification in relation to cortical thickness in the congenitally blind |
| topic | vision voxel-based morphometry MRI cortical thickness gyrification congenital blindness |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.970878/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT isabelarend gyrificationinrelationtocorticalthicknessinthecongenitallyblind AT kennethyuen gyrificationinrelationtocorticalthicknessinthecongenitallyblind AT kennethyuen gyrificationinrelationtocorticalthicknessinthecongenitallyblind AT oryizhar gyrificationinrelationtocorticalthicknessinthecongenitallyblind AT oryizhar gyrificationinrelationtocorticalthicknessinthecongenitallyblind AT oryizhar gyrificationinrelationtocorticalthicknessinthecongenitallyblind AT danielrobertchebat gyrificationinrelationtocorticalthicknessinthecongenitallyblind AT danielrobertchebat gyrificationinrelationtocorticalthicknessinthecongenitallyblind AT amiramedi gyrificationinrelationtocorticalthicknessinthecongenitallyblind |