Search results for "visual cortex"
showing 10 items of 105 documents
Detecting nonlinear causal interactions between dynamical systems by non-uniform embedding of multiple time series.
2010
This study introduces a new approach for the detection of nonlinear Granger causality between dynamical systems. The approach is based on embedding the multivariate (MV) time series measured from the systems X and Y by means of a sequential, non-uniform procedure, and on using the corrected conditional entropy (CCE) as unpredictability measure. The causal coupling from X to Y is quantified as the relative decrease of CCE measured after allowing the series of X to enter the embedding procedure for the description of Y. The ability of the approach to quantify nonlinear causality is assessed on MV time series measured from simulated dynamical systems with unidirectional coupling (the Rössler-…
Evidence of neuroplasticity in the human visual cortex following beneficial anti-VEGF treatment in exudative age-related macular degeneration
2012
Purpose Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents have been shown to improve visual acuity and prevent vision loss in exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). As the vision improves relatively quickly in response to intravitreal injections, we wanted to know whether this improvement is reflected in electrophysiolocal markers of visual cortical processing. Methods Our interventional case series included 6 elderly patients who underwent injection treatment to the affected eye. Their visual acuity, tomographic images of retinal thickness and visual evoked potentials (VEP) were assessed before of the treatment and six weeks after the last injection. Results All patients sho…
Somatosensory event-related potentials in the rabbit cerebral and cerebellar cortices: a correspondence with mismatch responses in humans.
2001
Somatosensory event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from the cerebellar (CerCx), somatosensory (SomCx) and visual (VCx) cortices in rabbits in two stimulus conditions. In the oddball condition, airpuffs to two different locations in the rabbit's muzzle corresponded to infrequently presented deviant stimuli (oddball-deviants) interspersed with frequently presented standard stimuli. In the deviant-alone condition, deviants (alone-deviants) were presented without standards. ERPs to oddball-deviants differed significantly from those to standards in CerCx and SomCx, but not in VCx. Furthermore, some of these differences were not found between ERPs to alone-deviants and those to standards…
1 Hz rTMS enhances extrastriate cortex activity in migraine
2003
We recently reported a paradoxical facilitatory effect of 1 Hz repetitive TMS (rTMS) on the primary visual cortex in migraine possibly due to the failure of inhibitory circuits, unable to be upregulated by low frequency rTMS. To investigate if inhibitory circuit dysfunction extends beyond striate cortex in migraine with aura, we studied the effects of 1 Hz rTMS over the right extrastriate cortex on perception of illusory contours in these patients. Low-frequency rTMS enhanced activity of extrastriate cortex in migraineurs, speeding up reaction times on illusory contour perception. This finding supports the view of a failure of inhibitory circuits also involving the extrastriate cortex in mi…
Visual-motion suppression in congenital pendular nystagmus.
2009
Patients with a congenital pendular nystagmus are known not to experience oscillopsia in a normal visual environment. The data of a 31-year-old female patient suffering from a congenital pendular nystagmus are presented. The aim of the fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) experiment was to analyze the regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCGM) during minimal as well as maximal nystagmus. Video-oculography showed a maximum in frequency of the horizontal pendular nystagmus during gaze to the left, whereas the zone of minimal nystagmus was 10 degrees to the right. Two sessions with an 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose tracer were performed to analyze cerebral blood-glucose utilizati…
Modulatory effects of the novel TrkB receptor agonist 7,8-dihydroxyflavone on synaptic transmission and intrinsic neuronal excitability in mouse visu…
2013
7,8-Dihydroxyflavone (7,8 DHF) is a new recently identified TrkB receptor agonist, which possesses a potent neurotrophic activity and shares many physiological properties with the neurotrophin "Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor" (BDNF). However, its precise mechanism of action at the cellular level has not been clarified yet. In the present study we explored the effects of this agent on synaptic and intrinsic neuronal properties by performing whole-cell patch clamp recordings from layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons. Incubation of acute cortical slices with 7,8-DHF (20 µM) for 30 min caused a selective reduction in the strength of GABAergic inhibition. The amplitude of evoked inhibitory postsynapti…
Asymmetric modulation of human visual cortex activity during 10 degrees lateral gaze (fMRI study).
2005
We used BOLD fMRI to study the differential effects of the direction of gaze on the visual and the ocular motor systems. Fixation of a target straight ahead was compared to fixation of a target 10 degrees to the right and 10 degrees to the left from gaze straight ahead, and to eyes open in complete darkness in thirteen healthy volunteers. While retinotopic coordinates remained the same in all fixation conditions, the fixation target shifted with respect to a head-centered frame of reference. During lateral fixation, deactivations in higher-order visual areas (one ventral cluster in the lingual and fusiform gyri and one dorsal cluster in the postero-superior cuneus) and, as a trend, activati…
Changes in NMDA-receptor function in the first week following laser-induced lesions in rat visual cortex.
2011
Focal brain injuries are accompanied by processes of functional reorganization that partially compensate the functional loss. In a previous study, extracellular recordings at the border of a laser-induced lesion in the visual cortex of rats showed an enhanced synaptic plasticity, which was mediated by the activity of NR2B-contaning NMDA-receptors (NMDARs) shedding light on the potential cellular mechanisms underlying this reorganization. Given the potentially important contribution of NMDARs in processes of functional reorganization, in the present study, we used the same lesion model to further investigate lesion-induced changes in function and localization of NMDARs in the vicinity of the…
Multivariate EEG spectral analysis evidences the functional link between motor and visual cortex during integrative sensorimotor tasks
2012
The identification of the networks connecting brain areas and the understanding of their role in executing complex tasks is a crucial issue in cognitive neuroscience. In this study, specific visuomotor tasks were devised to reveal the functional network underlying the cooperation process between visual and motor regions. Electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded from twelve healthy subjects during a combined visuomotor task, which integrated precise grip motor commands with sensory visual feedback (VM). This condition was compared with control tasks involving pure motor action (M), pure visual perception (V) and visuomotor performance without feedback (V + M). Multivariate parametric …
PB15. Neurophysiological biomarker for the clinical development of tuberous sclerosis
2018
Aim To investigate the neuronal networks in children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TS) undergoing treatment with Everolimus. Methods Sleep and wake electroencephalography (EEG) before and one year after the start of the treatment with Everolimus were investigated in 13 patients with TS. To investigate functional and effective connectivity within the network generating the delta and theta activity in the background sleep and wake EEG, the methods of dynamic imaging of coherent sources (DICS) and renormalized partial directed coherence (RPDC) were applied. Results Sources before the treatment . Independent of location of the tubera and severity of epilepsy, delta activity in the background…