Impact of deprivation and preferential usage on functional connectivity between early visual cortex and category selective visual regions.

Unlabelled: Human behavior can be remarkably shaped by experience, such as the removal of sensory input. Many studies of conditions such as stroke, limb amputation, and vision loss have examined how the removal of input changes brain function. However, an important question has yet to be answered: when input is lost, does the brain change its connectivity to preferentially use some remaining inputs over others? In individuals with healthy vision, the central portion of the retina is preferentially used for everyday visual tasks, due to its ability to discriminate fine details.

Cortical plasticity in central vision loss: Cortical thickness and neurite structure.

Late-stage macular degeneration (MD) often causes retinal lesions depriving an individual of central vision, forcing them to learn to use peripheral vision for daily tasks. To compensate, many patients develop a preferred retinal locus (PRL), an area of peripheral vision used more often than equivalent regions of spared vision. Thus, associated portions of cortex experience increased use, while portions of cortex associated with the lesion are deprived of sensory input.

Examination of Diurnal Variation and Sex Differences in Hippocampal Neurophysiology and Spatial Memory.

Circadian rhythms are biological processes that cycle across 24 h and regulate many facets of neurophysiology, including learning and memory. Circadian variation in spatial memory task performance is well documented; however, the effect of sex across circadian time (CT) remains unclear. Additionally, little is known regarding the impact of time-of-day on hippocampal neuronal physiology.

A method for mapping retinal images in early visual cortical areas.

The visual cortex has been a heavily studied region in neuroscience due to many factors, not the least of which is its well-defined retinotopic organization. This organization makes it possible to predict the general location of cortical regions that stimuli will activate during visual tasks. However, the precise and accurate mapping of these regions in human patients takes time, effort, and participant compliance that can be difficult in many patient populations.