Our goal is to characterize the biological basis of the visual deficits in amblyopia, a developmental disorder of CNS origin. Human amblyopes have many visual abnormalities, ranging from local spatial interactions to deficits in global form and motion perception. We will measure these deficits psychophysically in macaque monkeys made amblyopic by artificial strabismus or anisometropia in early life, and then study these monkeys in neurophysiological and neuroanatomical experiments to establish the basis of their altered vision. To explore local spatial interactions, we will study the effects of flanking targets on contrast detection and alignment thresholds for well-localized stimuli, and compare the range of spatial interaction for normal observers and amblyopes. To explore longer-range perceptual effects, we will study the ability of normal and amblyopic monkeys to extract coherent features and forms from fields of randomly arrayed targets, and measure large-scale alignment acuity using collinear targets. To understand the development of pattern vision, we will also study the performance of normal infant monkeys on these feature detection tasks. To probe mechanisms of global visual integration, we will study the ability of amblyopic monkeys to utilize global form and motion cues in random-dot motion discrimination, and in Glass pattern discrimination. Some spatial localization and feature integration deficits in amblyopes may depend on the disruption of local and long-range horizontal connections in primary visual cortex, VI, while others may reflect changes in neural organization in extrastriate areas. We will conduct initial neurophysiological and neuroanatomical experiments in areas V1 and V2 of the amblyopic monkeys to explore these changes; later work may involve higher cortical areas. Physiological measurements will determine the range and scope of lateral spatial interactions in cortical receptive fields, and will explore the sensitivity of cortical neurons to long-range form and motion cues. Anatomical studies will visualize and analyze the structure of intra- and inter-areal connections thought to underlie lateral interaction and integration. The results should clarify the nature and basis of the visual abnormalities in amblyopia, and also illuminate higher-level visual processing in normal individuals.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01EY005864-14
Application #
6138137
Study Section
Visual Sciences B Study Section (VISB)
Program Officer
Oberdorfer, Michael
Project Start
1985-09-30
Project End
2003-12-31
Budget Start
2000-01-01
Budget End
2000-12-31
Support Year
14
Fiscal Year
2000
Total Cost
$271,008
Indirect Cost
Name
New York University
Department
Neurology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
004514360
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10012
Pham, Amelie; Carrasco, Marisa; Kiorpes, Lynne (2018) Endogenous attention improves perception in amblyopic macaques. J Vis 18:11
Hallum, Luke E; Shooner, Christopher; Kumbhani, Romesh D et al. (2017) Altered Balance of Receptive Field Excitation and Suppression in Visual Cortex of Amblyopic Macaque Monkeys. J Neurosci 37:8216-8226
Shooner, Christopher; Hallum, Luke E; Kumbhani, Romesh D et al. (2017) Asymmetric Dichoptic Masking in Visual Cortex of Amblyopic Macaque Monkeys. J Neurosci 37:8734-8741
Voyles, Angela C; Kiorpes, Lynne (2016) A Window into brain development: hdEEG methods to track visual development in nonhuman primates. Dev Neurobiol 76:1342-1359
Kiorpes, Lynne (2016) The Puzzle of Visual Development: Behavior and Neural Limits. J Neurosci 36:11384-11393
Shooner, Christopher; Hallum, Luke E; Kumbhani, Romesh D et al. (2015) Population representation of visual information in areas V1 and V2 of amblyopic macaques. Vision Res 114:56-67
Kiorpes, Lynne; Mangal, Paul (2015) ""Global"" visual training and extent of transfer in amblyopic macaque monkeys. J Vis 15:14
Kiorpes, Lynne (2015) Visual development in primates: Neural mechanisms and critical periods. Dev Neurobiol 75:1080-90
Li, Da-Peng; Hagan, Maureen A; Kiorpes, Lynne (2013) Linking structure and function: development of lateral spatial interactions in macaque monkeys. Vis Neurosci 30:263-70
Kiorpes, Lynne; Price, Tracy; Hall-Haro, Cynthia et al. (2012) Development of sensitivity to global form and motion in macaque monkeys (Macaca nemestrina). Vision Res 63:34-42

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