tRNS boosts visual perceptual learning in participants with bilateral macular degeneration.

Perceptual learning (PL) has shown promise in enhancing residual visual functions in patients with age-related macular degeneration (MD), however it requires prolonged training and evidence of generalization to untrained visual functions is limited. Recent studies suggest that combining transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) with perceptual learning produces faster and larger visual improvements in participants with normal vision. Thus, this approach might hold the key to improve PL effects in MD.

Processing of translational, radial and rotational optic flow in older adults.

Aging impacts human observer's performance in a wide range of visual tasks and notably in motion discrimination. Despite numerous studies, we still poorly understand how optic flow processing is impacted in healthy older adults. Here, we estimated motion coherence thresholds in two groups of younger (age: 18-30, n = 42) and older (70-90, n = 42) adult participants for the three components of optic flow (translational, radial and rotational patterns).

Optic Flow Processing in Patients With Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: Optic flow processing was characterized in patients with macular degeneration (MD).

Methods: Twelve patients with dense bilateral scotomas and 12 age- and gender-matched control participants performed psychophysical experiments. Stimuli were dynamic random-dot kinematograms projected on a large screen.