Reorganization of neural circuits in the blind on diffusion direction analysis.
The neural reorganization of the visual cortex of early blind individuals was evaluated using voxel-by-voxel analysis of diffusion tensor images with regard to the diffusion direction, diffusion anisotropy and diffusivity. Reduced anisotropy and increased diffusivity was found mainly in the visual pathways of 18 early blind individuals as opposed to 25 sighted individuals. Alteration of the diffusion direction was detected not only in the visual pathways but also in nonvisual pathways such as the u fibers of the parietal lobe, the sagittal striatum, the pulvinar and the inferior and superior longitudinal fasciculi. The alteration of regional diffusion direction, reduced anisotropy and increased diffusivity in early blind individuals imply the neural reorganization for functional adaptation to the loss of visual input during the early development period.
Park
Hae-Jeong
HJ
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. parkhj@yuhs.ac
Jeong
Seok-Oh
SO
Kim
Eung Yeop
EY
Kim
Joong Il
JI
Park
Haeil
H
Oh
Maeng-Keun
MK
Kim
Dae-Jin
DJ
Kim
Sei Young
SY
Lee
Sung Chul
SC
Lee
Jong Doo
JD
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016880:Anisotropy; D001766:Blindness / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000473:pathology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000473:pathology*