Transcranial direct current stimulation improves visual acuity in amblyopic Long-Evans rats

Castaño-Castaño, Sergio; García-Moll, Alejandro; Morales-Navas, Miguel; Fernández, Eduardo; Sánchez-Santed, Fernando; Nieto-Escámez, Francisco Antonio

doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2017.01.003

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…[11][12][13][14][15] Along the same lines, Thompson et al, 16 Clavagnier et al, 17 and Moret et al 18 showed that contrast sensitivity improvements for the amblyopic could be made in adults with amblyopia using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and high-frequency transcranial electrical stimulation. In an animal study, Castano-Castano et al 19 found that amblyopic rats can produced an almost full recovery in visual acuity after eight sessions of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation on the visual cortex. Although the mechanism of action here is unclear, rTMS and Continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) change the balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain and are likely to be also targeting interocular suppression.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…In an animal study, Castano-Castano et al. 19 found that amblyopic rats can produced an almost full recovery in visual acuity after eight sessions of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation on the visual cortex. Although the mechanism of action here is unclear, rTMS and Continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) change the balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain and are likely to be also targeting interocular suppression.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Binocular Imbalance in Amblyopia Depends on Spatial Frequency in Binocular Combination

Mao

Min

Chen

et al. 2020

Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci.

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PURPOSE. To assess the role of spatial frequency on binocular imbalance in binocular combination in adults with amblyopia. METHODS. Ten amblyopes (23 ± 4.9 [SD] years old; one deprivation, two mixed, seven anisometropia patients) and 10 age-matched normal adults (23 ± 2.3 years old) participated. The interocular contrast ratio (fellow eye/amblyopic eye, i.e., the balance point [BP]) that resulted in an equal contribution of both eyes in binocular combination was measured using a binocular orientation combination task at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 cycles per degree (c/d). The extent of binocular imbalance was quantified as the absolute value of the BP on log scale (i.e., |logBP|). RESULTS. When the base contrast of the amblyopic eye was set at 100% (Experiment 1), the |logBP| was found to be significantly affected by stimulus spatial frequency (F(1.44, 26.01) = 51.6, P < 0.001, η 2 g = 0.40) and group (F(1, 18) = 66.97, P < 0.001, η 2 g = 0.74), the interaction between spatial frequency and group was also significant (F(1.44, 26.01) = 38.12, P < 0.001, η 2 g = 0.33). Such spatial frequency-dependent binocular imbalance remained present, even when the base contrast of the amblyopic eye was set at equal suprathreshold contrast levels across spatial frequencies (Experiment 2). CONCLUSIONS. Binocular balance was more disrupted at higher spatial frequencies in binocular combination in amblyopia. This imbalance might not originate solely from the amblyopic eye's deficit in contrast sensitivity but is likely to be related to the difference in contrast sensitivity between the eyes.

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Binocular Imbalance in Amblyopia Depends on Spatial Frequency in Binocular Combination

Mao

Min

Chen

et al. 2020

Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci.

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“…Some authors pointed out the vergence-accommodation conflict as responsible of the visual discomfort associated with the use of VR HMDs [ 28 ], which appears to be more likely to occur at closer viewing distances [ 29 ]. Likewise, neurological events can also occur with this therapy as a result of high sensitivity to overexcitation in some cortical regions of the subject, as has been also reported with other neuromodulation techniques, developed to improve visual function in amblyopia, such as transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) [ 30 – 33 ] or repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) [ 34 , 35 ]. All these issues should be considered when designing future clinical studies that intend to use VR HMDs as stereoscopic tools with rehabilitation aims.…”

Section: Supporting Evidencementioning

confidence: 83%

The Potential of Virtual Reality for Inducing Neuroplasticity in Children with Amblyopia

Coco-Martín

Piñero

Leal-Vega

et al. 2020

Journal of Ophthalmology

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In recent years, virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a new safe and effective tool for neurorehabilitation of different childhood and adulthood conditions. VR-based therapies can induce cortical reorganization and promote the activation of different neuronal connections over a wide range of ages, leading to contrasted improvements in motor and functional skills. The use of VR for the visual rehabilitation in amblyopia has been investigated in the last years, with the potential of using serious games combining perceptual learning and dichoptic stimulation. This combination of technologies allows the clinician to measure, treat, and control changes in interocular suppression, which is one of the factors leading to cortical alterations in amblyopia. Several clinical researches on this issue have been conducted, showing the potential of promoting visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and stereopsis improvement. Indeed, several systems have been evaluated for amblyopia treatment including the use of different commercially available types of head mounted displays (HMDs). These HMDs are mostly well tolerated by patients during short exposures and do not cause significant long-term side effects, although their use has been occasionally associated with some visual discomfort and other complications in certain types of subjects. More studies are needed to confirm these promising therapies in controlled randomized clinical trials, with special emphasis on the definition of the most adequate planning for obtaining an effective recovery of the visual and binocular function.

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“…Another reason for the significance of adult plasticity is that it may contribute to the development of treatments for human sensory impairments, such as amblyopia 124 . A series of treatments, including transcranial direct current stimulation 125 and high-frequency transcranial electrical stimulation 126 , have been tried to cure amblyopia. Studies of the critical period study are helpful in determining the optimal timing of those treatments.…”

Section: Neurodevelopment and Critical Periodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synaptic and circuit development of the primary sensory cortex

Choi

2018

Exp Mol Med

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Animals, including humans, optimize their primary sensory cortex through the use of input signals, which allow them to adapt to the external environment and survive. The time window at the beginning of life in which external input signals are connected sensitively and strongly to neural circuit optimization is called the critical period. The critical period has attracted the attention of many neuroscientists due to the rapid activity-/experience-dependent circuit development that occurs, which is clearly differentiated from other developmental time periods and brain areas. This process involves various types of GABAergic inhibitory neurons, the extracellular matrix, neuromodulators, transcription factors, and neurodevelopmental factors. In this review, I discuss recent progress regarding the biological nature of the critical period that contribute to a better understanding of brain development.

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Transcranial direct current stimulation improves visual acuity in amblyopic Long-Evans rats

Cited by 10 publications

References 61 publications

Binocular Imbalance in Amblyopia Depends on Spatial Frequency in Binocular Combination

Binocular Imbalance in Amblyopia Depends on Spatial Frequency in Binocular Combination

The Potential of Virtual Reality for Inducing Neuroplasticity in Children with Amblyopia

Synaptic and circuit development of the primary sensory cortex

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