Increased transneuronal excitation of the cat lateral geniculate nucleus after acute deafferentation

Eysel, Ulf; ̈sser, Otto-Joachim Gru

doi:10.1016/0006-8993(78)90009-4

Cited by 25 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…This partial blindness, termed hemianopia, is generally considered untreatable because it is believed that proper vision requires a highly specific neuronal organization, which is laid down during early development 2 . Despite this specificity in neuronal organization, there is, however, a considerable degree of plasticity in the injured visual system [3][4][5] and lost visual functions can recover spontaneously to some extent in animals 6,7 and humans 8 . For example, following eye closure in kittens, which disturbs neuronal connectivity in visual cortex, opening the eye is followed by partial reversal of the deficits 9 , even after the critical period of 3-4 months of age 10 .…”

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confidence: 99%

“…For example, following eye closure in kittens, which disturbs neuronal connectivity in visual cortex, opening the eye is followed by partial reversal of the deficits 9 , even after the critical period of 3-4 months of age 10 . Spontaneous post-lesion neuroplasticity also occurs in the adult visual system as documented by extensive receptive field reorganization following lesions in the retina or cortex 3,4 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Computer-based training for the treatment of partial blindness

Kasten¹,

Wüst²,

Behrens–Baumann

et al. 1998

Nat Med

285

206

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Partial blindness after brain injury has been considered non-treatable. To evaluate whether patients with visual-field defects can profit from computer-based visual restitution training (VRT), two independent clinical trials were conducted using patients with optic nerve (n = 19) or post-chiasmatic brain injury (n = 19). In post-chiasma patients, VRT led to a significant improvement (29.4%) over baseline in the ability to detect visual stimuli; in optic nerve patients, the effects were even more pronounced (73.6% improvement). Visual-field enlargements were confirmed by the observation of a visual-field expansion of 4.9 degrees-5.8 degrees of visual angle and improved acuity in optic nerve patients. Ninety five percent of the VRT-treated patients showed improvements, 72.2% confirmed visual improvements subjectively. Patients receiving a placebo training did not show comparable improvements. In conclusion, VRT with a computer program improves vision in patients with visual-field defects and offers a new, cost-effective therapy for partial blindness.

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Computer-based training for the treatment of partial blindness

Kasten¹,

Wüst²,

Behrens–Baumann

et al. 1998

Nat Med

285

206

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…These proposals have been based on animal studies by Eysel (1976) and Eysel and Gruesser (1978) who were the first to document plasticity of receptive fields after lesions in retina and visual cortex. About 6-8 weeks after destruction of small, circumscribed areas in the retina, many cells in the geniculate body achieved about 50% of their normal function again.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vision restoration therapy does not benefit from costimulation: A pilot study

Kasten

Bunzenthal

Müller‐Oehring

et al. 2007

Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology

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Visual field deficits in patients have long been considered to be nontreatable, but in previous studies we have found an enlargement of the intact visual field following vision restoration therapy (VRT). In the present pilot study, we wished to determine whether a double-stimulation approach would facilitate visual field enlargements beyond those achieved by the single-stimulus paradigm used in standard VRT. This was motivated by the findings that following visual cortex injury in animals, the size of receptive fields could be enlarged by systematic costimulation, where two stimuli were used to excite visual cortex neurons (Eysel, Eyding, & Schweigart, 1998). Patients (n = 23) with stable homonymous field deficits after trauma, cerebral ischemia, or hemorrhage (lesion age > 6 months) carried out either (a) standard VRT with a single stimulation (n = 9), or vision therapy with (b) a parallel costimulation (n = 7) or (c) a moving costimulation paradigm (n = 7). Training was carried out twice daily for 30 min over a 3-month period. Before and after therapy, visual fields were tested with 30 degrees and 90 degrees Tübinger automatic perimetry (TAP) and with high-resolution perimetry (HRP). Eye movements were recorded with an eye tracking system. When data of all three types of visual field training were pooled, we found significant improvements of stimulus detection in HRP (4.2%) and fewer misses within the central 30 degrees perimetrically (-3.7% right eye, OD, or -4.4% left eye, OS). However, the type of training did not make any difference such that the three training groups profited equally. A more detailed analysis of trained versus untrained visual field areas in 16 patients revealed a superiority of the trained area of only 1.1% in HRP and between 3.5% (OS) and 4.4% (OD) in TAP. Spatial attention and alertness improved significantly in all three groups and correlated significantly with visual field enlargements. While vision training had no influence on the patient's testimonials concerning their visual abilities, the patients significantly improved in a practical paper-and-pencil number tracking task (Zahlen-Verbindungs Test; ZVT). Visual field enlargement does not benefit from a double-stimulation paradigm, but visual attention seems to play an important role in vision restoration. The improvements in trained as well as in untrained areas are explained by top-down attentional control mechanisms interacting with local visual cortex plasticity.

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“…Nevertheless, in recent years, we have witnessed a paradigm shift in neuroscience, namely that the brain is able to compensate for lost functions (see, e.g., Bach-y- Rita, 1990;Finger, LeVere, Almli, & Stein, 1988). Even the visual system, previously considered to be hard-wired both in animals and humans, has proven to possess a remarkable flexibility in adapting to damage (see, e.g., Chino, 1999;Sabel, 1999a,b;Werth & Moerenschlager, 1999;Kasten, Wuest, Behrens-Baumann, & Sabel, 1998c;Gilbert, Das, Ito, Kapadia, & Westheimer, 1996;Gilbert, 1998;Pöppel et al, 1987;Eysel, 1976;Eysel & Grüsser, 1978;Eysel & SchmidtKastner, 1991;Eysel, Eyding, & Schweigart, 1998;Eysel et al, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computer-Based Training of Stimulus Detection Improves Color and Simple Pattern Recognition in the Defective Field of Hemianopic Subjects

Kasten¹,

Poggel²,

Sabel

2000

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

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In a previously conducted randomized placebo-controlled trial, we were able to demonstrate significant visual field enlargement induced by restitution therapy in patients with cerebral lesions [Kasten, E., Wuest, S., Behrens-Bamann, W., & Sabel, B. A. (1998c). Computer-based training for the treatment of partial blindness. Nature Medicine, 4, 1083-1087.]. Visual field training was performed on a computer monitor for 1 hr per day over a period of 6 months. Since the procedure included only stimulation with white light, in the present study we investigated if this simple detection training had a transfer effect on color or form recognition in the trained area (i.e., in the absence of modality specific training). Answering this question would be crucial for planning optimal restitution therapy: In case there is no transfer of training effects to other visual modalities, a specific treatment of each visual function must be performed in order to achieve maximum benefit. Therefore, we analyzed the data from 32 patients with visual field defects who had participated in the original trial and whose form and color recognition had been investigated. The experimental group (n = 19, restitution training) experienced not only an increase of 12.8% correctly detected stimuli (PeriMa program, p <.05), but also an improvement of 5.6% in pattern recognition (PeriForm) and of 6.1% in color perception (PeriColor), respectively. In contrast, the placebo group (n = 13, fixation training) showed no significant changes from baseline to final outcome in any of the visual modalities (PeriMa: 0.3%; PeriForm: -0.3%; PeriColor: 0.4%). Conventional perimetry yielded an increase of 7.8% detected stimuli in the experimental group, but only of 1.2% in the placebo group (p <.05). For form recognition and color perception, the differences between the results of the experimental and the placebo groups narrowly missed significance. However, correlations of diagnostic results showed that mainly those patients who had achieved visual field enlargement also improved in color and form perception: r =.67 (p <.05) between PeriMa and PeriForm and r =.32 between PeriMa and PeriColor. We conclude that visual restitution training using a simple white light stimulus has at least some influence on improving other visual functions such as color and pattern recognition. This result supports the "bottleneck theory" of visual restitution, i.e., training effects can be explained as a process of perceptual learning and increased processing of information by residual structures surviving lesions of the primary visual pathways.

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Increased transneuronal excitation of the cat lateral geniculate nucleus after acute deafferentation

Cited by 25 publications

References 28 publications

Computer-based training for the treatment of partial blindness

Computer-based training for the treatment of partial blindness

Vision restoration therapy does not benefit from costimulation: A pilot study

Computer-Based Training of Stimulus Detection Improves Color and Simple Pattern Recognition in the Defective Field of Hemianopic Subjects

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