Reorganization of visual processing is related to eccentric viewing in patients with macular degeneration.
OBJECTIVE
Neural evidence exists for cortical reorganization in human visual cortex in response to retinal disease. Macular degeneration (MD) causes the progressive loss of central visual acuity. To cope with this, MD patients often adopt a preferred retinal location (PRL, i.e., a functional retinal area in their periphery used to fixate instead of the damaged fovea). The use of a PRL may foster cortical reorganization.


METHODS
We used fMRI to measure brain activity in calcarine sulcus while visually stimulating peripheral visual regions in MD patients and age-matched control participants.


RESULTS
We found that visual stimulation of the PRL in MD patients increased brain activity in cortex normally representing central vision relative to visual stimulation of a peripheral region outside the patients' PRL and relative to stimulation in the periphery of age-matched control participants.


CONCLUSIONS
These data directly link cortical reorganization in MD to behavioral adaptations adopted by MD patients. These results not only confirm that large-scale cortical reorganization of visual processing occurs in humans in response to retinal disease, but also relate this reorganization to functional changes in patient behavior.
Schumacher
Eric H
EH
School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. eschu@gatech.edu
Jacko
Julie A
JA
Primo
Susan A
SA
Main
Keith L
KL
Moloney
Kevin P
KP
Kinzel
Erin N
EN
Ginn
Jimmy
J
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D058609:Visual Field Tests / Q000379:methods; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology
D010100:Oxygen