Dark exposure affects plasticity‐related molecules and interneurons throughout the visual system during adulthood

2020 ◽  
Vol 528 (8) ◽  
pp. 1349-1366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector Carceller ◽  
Ramon Guirado ◽  
Juan Nacher
Keyword(s):  
Visual System ◽  
Dark Exposure

scholarly journals Modification of Peak Plasticity Induced by Brief Dark Exposure

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Alexander J. Lingley ◽  
Donald E. Mitchell ◽  
Nathan A. Crowder ◽  
Kevin R. Duffy
Keyword(s):  
Visual System ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Ocular Dominance ◽  
Monocular Deprivation ◽  
Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus ◽  
Soma Size ◽  
Slow Progress ◽  
Dark Exposure ◽  
Central Visual System

The capacity for neural plasticity in the mammalian central visual system adheres to a temporal profile in which plasticity peaks early in postnatal development and then declines to reach enduring negligible levels. Early studies to delineate the critical period in cats employed a fixed duration of monocular deprivation to measure the extent of ocular dominance changes induced at different ages. The largest deprivation effects were observed at about 4 weeks postnatal, with a steady decline in plasticity thereafter so that by about 16 weeks only small changes were measured. The capacity for plasticity is regulated by a changing landscape of molecules in the visual system across the lifespan. Studies in rodents and cats have demonstrated that the critical period can be altered by environmental or pharmacological manipulations that enhance plasticity at ages when it would normally be low. Immersion in complete darkness for long durations (dark rearing) has long been known to alter plasticity capacity by modifying plasticity-related molecules and slowing progress of the critical period. In this study, we investigated the possibility that brief darkness (dark exposure) imposed just prior to the critical period peak can enhance the level of plasticity beyond that observed naturally. We examined the level of plasticity by measuring two sensitive markers of monocular deprivation, namely, soma size of neurons and neurofilament labeling within the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. Significantly larger modification of soma size, but not neurofilament labeling, was observed at the critical period peak when dark exposure preceded monocular deprivation. This indicated that the natural plasticity ceiling is modifiable and also that brief darkness does not simply slow progress of the critical period. As an antecedent to traditional amblyopia treatment, darkness may increase treatment efficacy even at ages when plasticity is at its highest.

Author response for "The brain of the African wild dog. IV . The visual system"

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samson Chengetanai ◽  
Adhil Bhagwandin ◽  
Mads F. Bertelsen ◽  
Therese Hård ◽  
Patrick R. Hof ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual System ◽  
Author Response ◽  
African Wild Dog ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
The Brain

Digital differential hysteresis iimage processing displays what the microscope acquires but the eye can't see

1995 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 642-643
Author(s):  
Klaus-Ruediger Peters
Keyword(s):  
Image Processing ◽  
Visual System ◽  
High Precision ◽  
Image Data ◽  
Processing Technology ◽  
Output Data ◽  
Contrast Resolution ◽  
Pixel Intensity ◽  
Data Reading ◽  
Hysteresis Properties

Differential hysteresis processing is a new image processing technology that provides a tool for the display of image data information at any level of differential contrast resolution. This includes the maximum contrast resolution of the acquisition system which may be 1,000-times higher than that of the visual system (16 bit versus 6 bit). All microscopes acquire high precision contrasts at a level of <0.01-25% of the acquisition range in 16-bit - 8-bit data, but these contrasts are mostly invisible or only partially visible even in conventionally enhanced images. The processing principle of the differential hysteresis tool is based on hysteresis properties of intensity variations within an image.Differential hysteresis image processing moves a cursor of selected intensity range (hysteresis range) along lines through the image data reading each successive pixel intensity. The midpoint of the cursor provides the output data. If the intensity value of the following pixel falls outside of the actual cursor endpoint values, then the cursor follows the data either with its top or with its bottom, but if the pixels' intensity value falls within the cursor range, then the cursor maintains its intensity value.

Newborn's Preference for Faces

1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Umiltà ◽  
Francesca Simion ◽  
Eloisa Valenza
Keyword(s):  
Visual System ◽  
Structural Properties ◽  
Sensory Properties ◽  
Human Face ◽  
System Experiment ◽  
Face Experiment

Four experiments were aimed at elucidating some aspects of the preference for facelike patterns in newborns. Experiment 1 showed a preference for a stimulus whose components were located in the correct arrangement for a human face. Experiment 2 showed a preference for stimuli that had optimal sensory properties for the newborn visual system. Experiment 3 showed that babies directed their attention to a facelike pattern even when it was presented simultaneously with a non-facelike stimulus with optimal sensory properties. Experiment 4 showed the preference for facelike patterns in the temporal hemifield but not in the nasal hemifield. It was concluded that newborns' preference for facelike patterns reflects the activity of a subcortical system which is sensitive to the structural properties of the stimulus.

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