FMRI of the rod scotoma elucidates cortical rod pathways and implications for lesion measurements.

ABSTRACT: Are silencing, ectopic shifts, and receptive field (RF) scaling in cortical scotoma projection zones (SPZs) the result of long-term reorganization (plasticity) or short-term adaptation? Electrophysiological studies of SPZs after retinal lesions in animal models remain controversial, because they are unable to conclusively answer this question because of limitations of the methodology. Here, we used functional MRI (fMRI) visual field mapping through population RF (pRF) modeling with moving bar stimuli under photopic and scotopic conditions to measure the effects of the rod scotoma in human early visual cortex. As a naturally occurring central scotoma, it has a large cortical representation, is free of traumatic lesion complications, is completely reversible, and has not reorganized under no

SUBMITTER: Barton B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4413354 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature