Béla Török

Early-onset binocularity in preterm infants reveals experience-dependent visual development in humans

Although there is a great deal of knowledge regarding the phylo- and ontogenetic plasticity of the neocortex, the precise nature of environmental impact on the newborn human brain is still one of the most controversial issues of neuroscience. The leading model–system of experience-dependent brain development is binocular vision, also called stereopsis. Here, we show that extra postnatal visual experience in preterm human neonates leads to a change in the developmental timing of binocular vision. The onset age of binocular function, as measured by the visual evoked response to dynamic random dot correlograms (DRDC-VEP), appears to be at around the same time after birth in preterm (4.07 mo) and full-term (3.78 mo) infants. To assess the integrity of the visual pathway in the studied infants, we also measured the latency of the visual-evoked response to pattern reversal stimuli (PR-VEP). PR-VEP latency is not affected by premature birth, demonstrating that the maturation of the visual pathway follows a preprogrammed developmental course. Despite the immaturity of the visual pathway, clearly demonstrated by the PR-VEP latencies, our DRCD-VEP data show that the visual cortex is remarkably ready to accept environmental stimulation right after birth. This early plasticity makes full use of the available extra stimulation time in preterm human infants and results in an early onset of cortical binocularity. According to our data, the developmental processes preceding the onset of binocular function are not preprogrammed, and the mechanisms turning on stereopsis are extremely experience-dependent in humans.

Pattern electroretinogram, visual evoked potential and psychophysical functions in maculopathy

To compare pattern electroretinograms and visual evoked potentials with psychophysical examinations, such as visual acuity, static (automated) perimetry and color vision in unilateral maculopathies of various origins, 20 patients with unilateral retinal diseases within the macula and the posterior pole were tested. Pattern electroretinography, visual evoked potential testing and static perimetry (Octopus program M1) were performed with three different test field sizes (20° × 20°, 10° × 10° and 6° × 6°). The best correlation in all three test field sizes was found between visual acuity, static perimetry and visual evoked potential. This result is surprising, since central area defined functions (visual evoked potentials, visual acuity) correlated well with a total area integrating function (mean defect in static perimetry). The pattern electroretinogram, which seems to reflect an area-related function as well, showed a correlation to static perimetry only in the smaller 10° × 10° and 6° × 6° fields and not a significant correlation in the 20° × 20° field. Smaller stimulation fields may therefore produce sharper results in pattern electroretinographic testing. There was no correlation between pattern electroretinograms and visual evoked potentials or visual acuity. The pattern electroretinogram was recorded under monocular and binocular viewing conditions. In 60% of the patients, the amplitude of the affected eye was more reduced in the monocular than the binocular viewing condition; the healthy fellow eye controlled stable fixation of the affected eye more readily during binocular pattern electroretinogram registration. The degree of the color vision disturbance (C-index, desaturated panel D-15 test) did not correlate to any of the other examinations.

Effects of luminance on dynamic random-dot correlogram evoked visual potentials.

Although dynamic random-dot correlogram evoked visual potentials (DRDC-VEPs) are a three-decade-old method to detect the cortical binocularity in humans and animals, our knowledge of the influence of fundamental stimulus parameters and the underlying cerebral processing mechanisms has remained limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of luminance on DRDC-VEPs in adults. The variability and detectability of DRDC-VEPs were investigated under different stimulus luminance conditions with neutral density filters. Our results have demonstrated that DRDC-VEPs can be evoked in a wide luminance range, and the response amplitude was practically independent of luminance between 4.75 cd m−2 and 0.015 cd m−2, while DRDC-VEP latencies showed a strong linear correlation with log luminance. There is, however, a limit (0.06 cd m−2) below which DRDC-VEPs are not reliably recordable. Luminance reduction-induced delays in DRDC-VEP latencies cannot be explained simply by retinal mechanisms, since their regression slope does not follow the course of electroretinogram and cortical evoked potential latencies. Luminance independence of DRDC-VEP amplitude suggests that binocular correlation-processing cortical neurons receive input predominantly from the magnocellular visual pathway.

Maturation of Cyclopean Visual Evoked Potential Phase in Preterm and Full-Term Infants

PURPOSE P1 is the major positive component of pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PR-VEPs). The rapid decrease of its latency correlates with the progressive myelination in the developing infant brain, which affects signal transmission in the visual system. An age-dependent phase shift, analogous to P1 peak latency, can be observed in dynamic random dot correlogram (DRDC)-evoked VEPs (DRDC-VEPs), a method used to assess binocular function. Our goal was to study the relationship between cyclopean DRDC-VEP phases and PR-VEP P1 latencies in full-term and preterm infants so as to further explore the experience dependence of early binocular developmental processes. METHODS DRDC-VEPs and PR-VEPs were recorded in 128 full-term and 47 preterm healthy infants and toddlers. DRDC stimuli were presented on the red and green channels of a CRT monitor while infants wore red-green goggles for dichoptic viewing. Reliability of VEP responses was assessed by the statistic. Logistic function was fit to the phase and latency data as a function of age, and goodness of fit was assessed by analysis of residuals. RESULTS The phase shift of DRDC-VEPs and the rapid decrease of P1 latencies occur at identical postconceptual ages. A correlation also was found between P1 latencies and DRDC-VEP phases. CONCLUSIONS Although development of binocularity is an extremely experience-dependent process, our data suggest that DRDC-VEP phase and P1 latency mature independently from visual experience. We propose that both the phase shift and decreasing P1 latency are indicators of myelination and increasingly faster signal transmission in the developing visual system.

Simple reaction times to cyclopean stimuli reveal that the binocular system is tuned to react faster to near than to far objects

Binocular depth perception is an important mechanism to segregate the visual scene for mapping relevant objects in our environment. Convergent evidence from psychophysical and neurophysiological studies have revealed asymmetries between the processing of near (crossed) and far (uncrossed) binocular disparities. The aim of the present study was to test if near or far objects are processed faster and with higher contrast sensitivity in the visual system. We therefore measured the relationship between binocular disparity and simple reaction time (RT) as well as contrast gain based on the contrast-RT function in young healthy adults. RTs were measured to suddenly appearing cyclopean target stimuli, which were checkerboard patterns encoded by depth in dynamic random dot stereograms (DRDS). The DRDS technique allowed us to selectively study the stereoscopic processing system by eliminating all monocular cues. The results showed that disparity and contrast had significant effects on RTs. RTs as a function of disparity followed a U-shaped tuning curve indicating an optimum at around 15 arc min, where RTs were minimal. Surprisingly, the disparity tuning of RT was much less pronounced for far disparities. At the optimal disparity, we measured advantages of about 80 ms and 30 ms for near disparities at low (10%) and high (90%) contrasts, respectively. High contrast always reduced RTs as well as the disparity dependent differences. Furthermore, RT-based contrast gains were higher for near disparities in the range of disparities where RTs were the shortest. These results show that the sensitivity of the human visual system is biased for near versus far disparities and near stimuli can result in faster motor responses, probably because they bear higher biological relevance.

Messung der Zyklofusionskompetenz bei Normalprobanden mittels dynamischer 3-D-„Random-Dot“-Stereogramme

BACKGROUND Evaluation of a new method for cyclofusion measurement. PATIENTS AND METHODS The maximal incyclofusion and excyclofusion tolerated of 20 normal subjects (15 females, mean age 36 ± 9.9 years) were measured by computer-generated dynamic random-dot stereograms (DRDS). Subjects had to detect the orientation of only binocularly visible Landolt C stimuli randomly presented with a 3-D monitor. Both eyes were separately stimulated with shutter glasses. The DRDS-pattern projected to the left and right eye were rotated in the opposite direction in 0.5° steps. In 10 subjects, cyclofusion measurements were repeated. RESULTS Incylofusional amplitudes were between 2.5° and 6°, excyclofusional amplitudes measured between 3° and 5.5°. Mean incyclofusion was 3.71° (SD 0.82) and mean excyclofusion measured 4.24° (SD 0.73). Repeated measurements of incyclofusion and excyclofusion in the same subject demonstrated a difference of about 0.5° (0.55° for incyclofusion, 0.45° for excyclofusion). CONCLUSIONS The DRDS Landolt C method provided a reliable assessment with good reproducibility of cyclofusion in healthy subjects with only binocularly perceivable objects. Our cyclofusional capabilities were slightly higher than those received with dissociating 2D measurements.