Visual field reconstruction in hemianopia using fMRI based mapping techniques

<strong>Purpose:</strong> A stroke that includes the primary visual cortex unilaterally leads to a loss of visual field (VF) representation in the hemifield contralateral to the damage. While behavioral procedures for measuring the VF, such as perimetry, may indicate that a patient canno...

Полное описание

Библиографические подробности
Главные авторы: Halbertsma, HN, Bridge, H, Carvalho, J, Cornelissen, FW, Ajina, S
Формат: Journal article
Язык:English
Опубликовано: Frontiers Media 2021
_version_ 1826259144128069632
author Halbertsma, HN
Bridge, H
Carvalho, J
Cornelissen, FW
Ajina, S
author_facet Halbertsma, HN
Bridge, H
Carvalho, J
Cornelissen, FW
Ajina, S
author_sort Halbertsma, HN
collection OXFORD
description <strong>Purpose:</strong> A stroke that includes the primary visual cortex unilaterally leads to a loss of visual field (VF) representation in the hemifield contralateral to the damage. While behavioral procedures for measuring the VF, such as perimetry, may indicate that a patient cannot see in a particular area, detailed psychophysical testing often detects the ability to perform detection or discrimination of visual stimuli (“blindsight”). The aim of this study was to determine whether functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) could be used to determine whether perimetrically blind regions of the VF were still represented in VF maps reconstructed on the basis of visually evoked neural activity. <br> <strong>Methods:</strong> Thirteen patients with hemianopia and nine control participants were scanned using 3T MRI while presented with visual stimulation. Two runs of a dynamic “wedge and ring” mapping stimulus, totaling approximately 10 min, were performed while participants fixated centrally. Two different analysis approaches were taken: the conventional population receptive field (pRF) analysis and micro-probing (MP). The latter is a variant of the former that makes fewer assumptions when modeling the visually evoked neural activity. Both methods were used to reconstruct the VF by projecting modeled activity back onto the VF. Following a normalization step, these “coverage maps” can be compared to the VF sensitivity plots obtained using perimetry. <br> <strong>Results:</strong> While both fMRI-based approaches revealed regions of neural activity within the perimetrically “blind” sections of the VF, the MP approach uncovered more voxels in the lesioned hemisphere in which a modest degree of visual sensitivity was retained. Furthermore, MP-based analysis indicated that both early (V1/V2) and extrastriate visual areas contributed equally to the retained sensitivity in both patients and controls. <br> <strong>Conclusion:</strong> In hemianopic patients, fMRI-based approaches for reconstructing the VF can pick up activity in perimetrically blind regions of the VF. Such regions of the VF may be particularly amenable for rehabilitation to regain visual function. Compared to conventional pRF modeling, MP reveals more voxels with retained visual sensitivity, suggesting it is a more sensitive approach for VF reconstruction.
first_indexed 2024-03-06T18:45:13Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:0e44da87-17f8-41e0-9aa7-1ae5913b42ce
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-06T18:45:13Z
publishDate 2021
publisher Frontiers Media
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:0e44da87-17f8-41e0-9aa7-1ae5913b42ce2022-03-26T09:45:04ZVisual field reconstruction in hemianopia using fMRI based mapping techniquesJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:0e44da87-17f8-41e0-9aa7-1ae5913b42ceEnglishSymplectic ElementsFrontiers Media2021Halbertsma, HNBridge, HCarvalho, JCornelissen, FWAjina, S<strong>Purpose:</strong> A stroke that includes the primary visual cortex unilaterally leads to a loss of visual field (VF) representation in the hemifield contralateral to the damage. While behavioral procedures for measuring the VF, such as perimetry, may indicate that a patient cannot see in a particular area, detailed psychophysical testing often detects the ability to perform detection or discrimination of visual stimuli (“blindsight”). The aim of this study was to determine whether functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) could be used to determine whether perimetrically blind regions of the VF were still represented in VF maps reconstructed on the basis of visually evoked neural activity. <br> <strong>Methods:</strong> Thirteen patients with hemianopia and nine control participants were scanned using 3T MRI while presented with visual stimulation. Two runs of a dynamic “wedge and ring” mapping stimulus, totaling approximately 10 min, were performed while participants fixated centrally. Two different analysis approaches were taken: the conventional population receptive field (pRF) analysis and micro-probing (MP). The latter is a variant of the former that makes fewer assumptions when modeling the visually evoked neural activity. Both methods were used to reconstruct the VF by projecting modeled activity back onto the VF. Following a normalization step, these “coverage maps” can be compared to the VF sensitivity plots obtained using perimetry. <br> <strong>Results:</strong> While both fMRI-based approaches revealed regions of neural activity within the perimetrically “blind” sections of the VF, the MP approach uncovered more voxels in the lesioned hemisphere in which a modest degree of visual sensitivity was retained. Furthermore, MP-based analysis indicated that both early (V1/V2) and extrastriate visual areas contributed equally to the retained sensitivity in both patients and controls. <br> <strong>Conclusion:</strong> In hemianopic patients, fMRI-based approaches for reconstructing the VF can pick up activity in perimetrically blind regions of the VF. Such regions of the VF may be particularly amenable for rehabilitation to regain visual function. Compared to conventional pRF modeling, MP reveals more voxels with retained visual sensitivity, suggesting it is a more sensitive approach for VF reconstruction.
spellingShingle Halbertsma, HN
Bridge, H
Carvalho, J
Cornelissen, FW
Ajina, S
Visual field reconstruction in hemianopia using fMRI based mapping techniques
title Visual field reconstruction in hemianopia using fMRI based mapping techniques
title_full Visual field reconstruction in hemianopia using fMRI based mapping techniques
title_fullStr Visual field reconstruction in hemianopia using fMRI based mapping techniques
title_full_unstemmed Visual field reconstruction in hemianopia using fMRI based mapping techniques
title_short Visual field reconstruction in hemianopia using fMRI based mapping techniques
title_sort visual field reconstruction in hemianopia using fmri based mapping techniques
work_keys_str_mv AT halbertsmahn visualfieldreconstructioninhemianopiausingfmribasedmappingtechniques
AT bridgeh visualfieldreconstructioninhemianopiausingfmribasedmappingtechniques
AT carvalhoj visualfieldreconstructioninhemianopiausingfmribasedmappingtechniques
AT cornelissenfw visualfieldreconstructioninhemianopiausingfmribasedmappingtechniques
AT ajinas visualfieldreconstructioninhemianopiausingfmribasedmappingtechniques