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Binocular pattern deprivation with delayed onset has impact on motion perception in adulthood
1Laboratory of Neuroplasticity, Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Pasteur 3, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
Insights
Early visual development is crucial for motion perception. Binocular deprivation (BD) from birth impairs global motion detection, but a later onset of BD does not, suggesting a critical period for motion processing extends beyond the first two months of life.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Vision Science
Background:
- Motion perception quality relies on early visual input.
- Binocular deprivation (BD) from birth impairs motion coherence thresholds in kittens.
- Previous studies show BD from birth impairs global motion detection but not form perception in adult cats.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term effects of binocular deprivation (BD) on global motion perception in adult cats.
- To determine the impact of BD duration and onset timing on various motion perception tasks.
- To identify the critical period for motion perception development in cats.
Main Methods:
- Adult cats underwent binocular deprivation (BD) from birth for 1, 2, 4, or 6 months, or with a delayed onset (2 months normal vision followed by 2 months BD).
- Cats were tested on a battery of tasks assessing global motion detection, velocity, and low contrast-defined motion perception.
- Retinal ganglion cell counts were analyzed in previous related studies.
Main Results:
- BD from birth for 6 months impaired Global Motion Detection compared to controls.
- Velocity and low contrast-defined motion processing were impaired when BD occurred exclusively between months 3-4 of life.
- BD for the first 1 or 2 months from birth did not impair tested motion tasks.
- Motion coherence thresholds, even after extensive training, were unaffected by BD.
- Impaired extraction of low contrast-defined motion signals was observed in cats deprived during months 3-4.
- Binocular pattern deprivation during the first 2 months did not affect motion sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- Extended binocular deprivation (BD) from birth significantly impairs global motion detection in adult cats.
- Motion processing, particularly low contrast-defined motion, is sensitive to deprivation during a specific developmental window (months 3-4).
- The critical period for motion perception extends beyond the first two months of life, contrary to previous assumptions.
Abstract:
The quality of motion perception depends on visual input during early development. Even 1month of binocular deprivation (BD) from birth impairs motion coherence thresholds when tested in kittens; conversely BD with a 1-month delayed onset does not impair it (Mitchell et al., 2009). We showed that 6months of BD applied from birth induces a selective impairment in a Global Motion Detection task, but not in global form perception, when tested in adulthood (Burnat et al., 2002, 2005). In these animals cell counts of the retinal motion-sensitive alpha ganglion revealed a life-long increase in OFF-type ganglion cell (Burnat et al., 2012). Here we examined in adult cats the effect of BD on global motion perception using an array of tasks with gradually increasing perceptual difficulty. Two conditions of BD were applied: from birth, lasting for 1, 2, 4 or 6months, and with a delayed onset with first 2months of normal vision followed by 2months of BD. Cats deprived from birth for a 6-month period had Global Motion Detection impaired, as compared to the normal group. Velocity and low contrast-defined motion processing was impaired when BD was applied exclusively in months 3-4 of life. The cats deprived from birth for 1 or 2months were not impaired in any of the tested motion tasks. Motion coherence thresholds, when tested at the end of a long motion training were not affected by BD and did not differ from those obtained for the normal group. Impaired extraction of low contrast-defined motion signal was found in cats deprived solely in months 3-4 of life. Surprisingly, binocular pattern deprivation during the first 2months of life did not weaken motion sensitivity, revealing the occurrence of a critical period for motion perception later in development than previously suggested.
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