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Topographical Estimation of Visual Population Receptive Fields by fMRI
Published on: February 3, 2015
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Functional and anatomical properties of human visual cortical fields
Shouyu Zhang1, Anthony D Cate2, Timothy J Herron3
1Beijing Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China; Human Cognitive Neurophysiology Lab, VA Research Service, VA-NCHCS, 150 Muir Road, Martinez, CA 94553, USA; Department of Neurology and Center for Neuroscience, 4860 Y St., Suite 3700, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.
Vision Research
|February 10, 2015
Summary
This study mapped human visual cortical fields (VCFs) using fMRI, revealing consistent locations for visual cortex landmarks. Anatomical properties of these VCFs also showed significant differences between fields and hemispheres.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
- Visual Cortex Anatomy
Background:
- Human visual cortical fields (VCFs) exhibit significant inter-individual variability in size and anatomical position.
- Accurate mapping of VCFs is crucial for both functional and anatomical studies of the visual system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and delineate multiple retinotopic visual cortical fields (VCFs) on the human cortical surface.
- To establish consistent landmarks for VCFs across individuals and hemispheres.
- To investigate the anatomical properties of VCFs and compare them between hemispheres.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with retinotopic stimulation was employed to map VCF activations.
- VCF activations were aligned and averaged across hemispheres to delineate fields.
- Anatomical properties including fractional anisotropy (FA) and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) were measured using MRI.
Main Results:
- Averaging VCF activations across hemispheres provided clear delineation of multiple retinotopic fields.
- VCFs demonstrated consistent locations and extents across subjects, serving as reliable landmarks.
- Significant anatomical differences were found between VCFs and between the left and right hemispheres.
Conclusions:
- Retinotopic mapping using fMRI reveals consistent and reliable visual cortical field locations across individuals.
- These functionally defined VCFs provide stable landmarks for precise anatomical and functional mapping.
- Distinct anatomical characteristics exist between different VCFs and across cerebral hemispheres.
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