Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 25, 2025
Author Spotlight: Insights into Visual Cortex Research Through Wide-View fMRI Mapping
Published on: December 8, 2023
Cortical thickness of primary visual cortex correlates with motion deficits in periventricular leukomalacia
Akshatha Bhat1, Laura Biagi2, Giovanni Cioni3
1Department of Developmental Neuroscience, Laboratory of Vision, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, University of Florence, Italy.
Insights
Children with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) show impaired visual motion perception. Thinner primary visual cortex (V1) correlated with better motion coherence sensitivity in these patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Visual Neuroscience
Background:
- Premature birth and very low birth weight are associated with visual motion perception deficits, particularly flow motion.
- Visual motion processing involves dorsal stream pathways, with early visual cortex areas (V1, V2, V3) being crucial information providers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specific cortical stage of visual processing affected in children with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and its relation to motion perception impairments.
- To measure Grey Matter Volume and Cortical Thickness in visual areas of children with PVL.
Main Methods:
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was used to assess Grey Matter Volume and Cortical Thickness.
- 13 children diagnosed with Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL) were included in the study.
- Cortical measurements were correlated with motion coherence sensitivity.
Main Results:
- A negative correlation was found between cortical thickness of the primary visual cortex (V1) and motion coherence sensitivity; thinner V1 indicated better performance.
- Grey Matter Volume of V1 did not show a significant correlation with motion coherence sensitivity.
- No significant associations were found between cortical thickness or volume of areas MT, MST, and Intraparietal Sulcus (IPS) and motion coherence sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that impairments in visual motion perception in children with PVL may stem from damage at the level of the primary visual cortex (V1) or along the optic radiation.
- Cortical thinning in V1, rather than grey matter volume, is linked to visual motion processing abilities in this cohort.
Abstract:
Impairments of visual motion perception and, in particular, of flow motion have been consistently observed in premature and very low birth weight subjects during infancy. Flow motion information is analyzed at various cortical levels along the dorsal pathways, with information mainly provided by primary and early visual cortex (V1, V2 and V3). We investigated the cortical stage of the visual processing that underlies these motion impairments, measuring Grey Matter Volume and Cortical Thickness in 13 children with Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL). The cortical thickness, but not the grey matter volume of area V1, correlates negatively with motion coherence sensitivity, indicating that the thinner the cortex, the better the performance among the patients. However, we did not find any such association with either the thickness or volume of area MT, MST and areas of the IPS, suggesting damage at the level of primary visual cortex or along the optic radiation.
