title: Chromatic and luminance losses with multiple sclerosis and optic neuritis measured using dynamic random luminance contrast noise.
abstract: We measured thresholds for detecting changes in colour and in luminance contrast in observers with multiple sclerosis (MS) and/or optic neuritis (ON) to determine whether reduced sensitivity occurs principally in red-green or blue-yellow second-stage chromatic channels or in an achromatic channel. Colour thresholds for the observers with MS/ON were higher in the red-green direction than in the blue-yellow direction, indicating greater levels of red-green loss than blue-yellow loss. Achromatic thresholds were raised less than either red-green or blue-yellow thresholds, showing less luminance-contrast loss than chromatic loss. With the MS/ON observers, blue-yellow and red-green thresholds were positively correlated but increasing impairment was associated with more rapid changes in red-green thresholds than blue-yellow thresholds. These findings indicate that demyelinating disease selectively reduces sensitivity to colour vision over luminance vision and red-green colours over blue-yellow colours.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Deakin University, Victoria 3217, Australia. flanagan@deakin.edu.au
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Flanagan
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Zele
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D003119:Color Perception Tests / Q000379:methods; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology