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[Functional and structural abnormalities in the visual cortex in early childhood strabismus]
L Tychsen1, A Burkhalter, R G Boothe
1Department of Ophthalmology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Klinische Monatsblatter Fur Augenheilkunde
|January 1, 1996
Summary
Infantile strabismus in monkeys shows reduced visual cortex connections and unequal metabolic activity, indicating cerebral cortex maldevelopment. These findings offer neuroanatomic evidence for functional deficits in early-onset strabismus.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Visual System Development
- Primate Models
Context:
- Infantile strabismus, a common visual disorder, presents functional deficits.
- Understanding the underlying neuroanatomic basis is crucial for effective treatment strategies.
Purpose:
- To investigate the structural alterations in the primary visual cortex (V1) associated with natural infantile esotropia in macaque monkeys.
- To correlate neuroanatomic findings with functional deficits observed in visual-evoked potentials (VEPs).
Summary:
- Adult macaque monkeys with natural infantile esotropia exhibited significant reductions (50-60%) in binocular horizontal connections between ocular dominance columns (ODCs) in V1.
- Strabismic monkeys displayed deficits in binocular luminance VEPs and directional asymmetries in motion VEPs.
- Unequal metabolic activity in V1 ODCs, with greater activity in contralaterally driven columns, suggests interocular suppression.
Impact:
- Provides the first neuroanatomic evidence for cerebral cortex maldevelopment in natural infantile esotropia.
- Correlates maldevelopment of V1 connections with observed abnormalities in binocular and motion VEPs.
- Highlights the role of interocular suppression in the pathophysiology of infantile strabismus.