Background:Visual deficits,caused by ocular disease or trauma,can cause lasting damage.However,recent research has focused on neural plasticity as a means to regain visual functions.In order to better understand the i...Background:Visual deficits,caused by ocular disease or trauma,can cause lasting damage.However,recent research has focused on neural plasticity as a means to regain visual functions.In order to better understand the involvement of neural plasticity and reorganization in partial vision restoration,we aim to evaluate the partial recovery of a visual deficit over time using two behavioural tests.In our study,a partial optic nerve crush(pONC)serves as an induced visual deficit,allowing for residual vision from surviving cells.Methods:Visual functions in C57BL/6 mice was measured using two behavioural tests prior to a bilateral pONC,then at various time points after the pONC.In this study,two injury intensities were used:a high intensity pONC with the full force of self-closing forceps,and a low intensity pONC,in which a calibrated space was left between the forceps at the closed position.The two behavioural tests consisted of the optomotor reflex(OMR)and the visual cliff(VC)tests.The OMR test measures the mouse’s tracking reflex in response to moving sinusoidal gratings.The VC test,on the other hand,evaluates exploratory behaviour,by simulating a cliff to observe the animal’s sense of depth perception.After the behavioural evaluation,surviving retinal ganglion cells were counted.Results:The high intensity pONC resulted in a total loss of visual acuity as measured by the OMR test,with no improvement in the following 4 weeks.However,the light intensity pONC showed the same initial loss,but recovery was observed as of day 3,and results in 40-60%recovery after 4 weeks.With the VC test,mice with intact vision will avoid the deep end,opting to spend more time in the shallow end.However,after both high and low intensity pONCs,this preference is no longer observed.Both groups show a return to the shallow end preference at day 14,though the low intensity pONC group showed a stronger preference similar to baseline performance.The percentage of surviving retinal ganglion cells was higher with the low intensity(68%)than with the high intensity(17%)pONC.Conclusions:There is evidence of visual recovery at the behavioural level following a pONC,though very little recovery was observed following a high intensity pONC,and only with the VC test.Therefore,a certain amount of residual retinal input may be required for recovery at the behavioural level.展开更多
Cognitive disturbances with neglect-like features have been reported occasionally in patients with chiasmal disorders, so far however with no obvious substrate by conventional brain imaging. Thus, there were no right ...Cognitive disturbances with neglect-like features have been reported occasionally in patients with chiasmal disorders, so far however with no obvious substrate by conventional brain imaging. Thus, there were no right hemisphere lesions that could explain the lateralised visual inattention as observed in particular during monocular visual acuity testing. On this background, we further examined four adult patients who consented to functional 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scan. In three there were no significant findings. The fourth patient, a 26-year-old male with cognitive defects after surgery for craniopharyngioma, will be discussed in more detail. His PET scan demonstrated a widespread reduction of regional metabolic activity in left hemisphere primary visual cortex and higher order visual areas, despite absence of explanatory pathological signal changes on MRI. As present in only one out of four patients, however, the findings do not allow specific pathogenetic mechanisms to be suggested, nor generally to substantiate involvement of higher cerebral circuits. Obviously, even developed imaging has its limits, and in the very theory the visual dysfunctions observed might still depend on higher brain centres’ faulty adaptation to loss of pre-geniculate visual information.展开更多
文摘Background:Visual deficits,caused by ocular disease or trauma,can cause lasting damage.However,recent research has focused on neural plasticity as a means to regain visual functions.In order to better understand the involvement of neural plasticity and reorganization in partial vision restoration,we aim to evaluate the partial recovery of a visual deficit over time using two behavioural tests.In our study,a partial optic nerve crush(pONC)serves as an induced visual deficit,allowing for residual vision from surviving cells.Methods:Visual functions in C57BL/6 mice was measured using two behavioural tests prior to a bilateral pONC,then at various time points after the pONC.In this study,two injury intensities were used:a high intensity pONC with the full force of self-closing forceps,and a low intensity pONC,in which a calibrated space was left between the forceps at the closed position.The two behavioural tests consisted of the optomotor reflex(OMR)and the visual cliff(VC)tests.The OMR test measures the mouse’s tracking reflex in response to moving sinusoidal gratings.The VC test,on the other hand,evaluates exploratory behaviour,by simulating a cliff to observe the animal’s sense of depth perception.After the behavioural evaluation,surviving retinal ganglion cells were counted.Results:The high intensity pONC resulted in a total loss of visual acuity as measured by the OMR test,with no improvement in the following 4 weeks.However,the light intensity pONC showed the same initial loss,but recovery was observed as of day 3,and results in 40-60%recovery after 4 weeks.With the VC test,mice with intact vision will avoid the deep end,opting to spend more time in the shallow end.However,after both high and low intensity pONCs,this preference is no longer observed.Both groups show a return to the shallow end preference at day 14,though the low intensity pONC group showed a stronger preference similar to baseline performance.The percentage of surviving retinal ganglion cells was higher with the low intensity(68%)than with the high intensity(17%)pONC.Conclusions:There is evidence of visual recovery at the behavioural level following a pONC,though very little recovery was observed following a high intensity pONC,and only with the VC test.Therefore,a certain amount of residual retinal input may be required for recovery at the behavioural level.
文摘Cognitive disturbances with neglect-like features have been reported occasionally in patients with chiasmal disorders, so far however with no obvious substrate by conventional brain imaging. Thus, there were no right hemisphere lesions that could explain the lateralised visual inattention as observed in particular during monocular visual acuity testing. On this background, we further examined four adult patients who consented to functional 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scan. In three there were no significant findings. The fourth patient, a 26-year-old male with cognitive defects after surgery for craniopharyngioma, will be discussed in more detail. His PET scan demonstrated a widespread reduction of regional metabolic activity in left hemisphere primary visual cortex and higher order visual areas, despite absence of explanatory pathological signal changes on MRI. As present in only one out of four patients, however, the findings do not allow specific pathogenetic mechanisms to be suggested, nor generally to substantiate involvement of higher cerebral circuits. Obviously, even developed imaging has its limits, and in the very theory the visual dysfunctions observed might still depend on higher brain centres’ faulty adaptation to loss of pre-geniculate visual information.
