A natural history of vision loss: Insight from evolution for human visual function.

Neurosci Biobehav Rev

UKRI Centre for Accessible, Responsible & Transparent Artificial Intelligence (ART:AI), University of Bath, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, REVEAL Research Centre, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom.

Published: March 2022

AI Article Synopsis

  • Research on "blind" animal species helps us understand what vision does and how the brain processes visual information.
  • Models that combine evolutionary history and experimental studies can clarify the relationship between visual abilities and related behaviors, aiding in translating animal research to human vision treatments.
  • Analyzing the evolution of vision in vertebrates and comparing blind species offers insights into blindness and could inspire new approaches to managing vision loss in humans.

Article Abstract

Research on the origin of vision and vision loss in naturally "blind" animal species can reveal the tasks that vision fulfills and the brain's role in visual experience. Models that incorporate evolutionary history, natural variation in visual ability, and experimental manipulations can help disentangle visual ability at a superficial level from behaviors linked to vision but not solely reliant upon it, and could assist the translation of ophthalmological research in animal models to human treatments. To unravel the similarities between blind individuals and blind species, we review concepts of "blindness" and its behavioral correlates across a range of species. We explore the ancestral emergence of vision in vertebrates, and the loss of vision in blind species with reference to an evolution-based classification scheme. We applied phylogenetic comparative methods to a mammalian tree to explore the evolution of visual acuity using ancestral state estimations. Future research into the natural history of vision loss could help elucidate the function of vision and inspire innovations in how to address vision loss in humans.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104550DOI Listing

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