Related Experiment Videos
Adaptation to left-right reversed vision rapidly activates ipsilateral visual cortex in humans
Satoru Miyauchi1, Hiroyuki Egusa, Masahiro Amagase
1Brain Information Group, Kansai Advanced Research Center, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 588-2 Iwaoka, Iwaoka-cho, Nishi-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo 651-2492, Japan. miyauchi@po.nict.crl.go.jp
Journal of Physiology, Paris
|October 13, 2004
Summary
Adults adapt to left-right reversed vision, showing brain plasticity. The primary visual cortex (V1) and other visual areas activate in the ipsilateral visual field, demonstrating rapid cross-hemisphere brain changes even in adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroplasticity
Background:
- Visual transposition adaptation is crucial for sensory-motor coordination and neuropsychological rehabilitation.
- Previous studies in monkeys showed V1 neuronal responses to ipsilateral visual fields after adaptation to reversed vision.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate ipsilateral V1 activation in humans adapting to left-right reversed vision.
- Determine the onset of ipsilateral activity and associated behavioral changes.
- Examine ipsilateral activity in other visual cortices.
Main Methods:
- fMRI and behavioral experiments with four adult subjects wearing left-right reversing goggles for 35-39 days.
- Monitoring of brain activity and visuomotor coordination during adaptation.
Main Results:
- Rapid adaptation of visuomotor coordination and peripersonal space representation within 1-2 weeks.
- Ipsilateral activation observed in primary visual cortex (V1) and extrastriate visual cortex (MT/MST).
- Ipsilateral activity initiated much earlier than previously suggested by monkey studies.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrates large-scale, cross-hemisphere cerebral plasticity in the adult human brain.
- Provides physiological evidence for rapid neural adaptation to visual transposition.
- Highlights the brain's capacity for significant reorganization even in adulthood.