Visual Plasticity Flashcards
How are development, plasticity, learning, reorganization and recovery from injury related?
They share overlapping mechanisms that are differentiated with age, environment and external challenge
Why is the visual system a model platform to study plasticity, learning, reorganization and recovery from injury?
rich stimuli conditions possible, high degree of functional organization, and importance of visually guided behavior
What is synaptic plasticity?
ability of the synapse between two neurons to change in strength or effectiveness
Where is the first site of binocular interaction in the visual pathway?
primary visual cortex
What did intravitreal injection of 3H proline (a transynaptic tracer) reveal in an adult monkey?
pattern of ocular dominance columns (layer 4 of V1 separated by eye preference)
What did intravitreal injection of 3H proline (a transynaptic tracer) reveal in a fetal monkey?
no ocular dominance columns, a continuous band of labeling in layer 4 of V1
At what week does the normal ocular dominance segregation begin in development?
week 3
By what week is the ocular dominance pattern established in development?
week 13
What is ambylopia?
a weak or lazy eye
Why do children who have congenital cataracts who undergo surgery at 10 years old remain functionally blind in the affected eye when adults undergoing an analogous procedure have restored good vision?
deficit occurred within the critical period, relates to the improper neural development of higher level function whereas in adults that is already established when the cataract occurs
In monocular deprivation, which side of the visual cortex is underdeveloped?
the side contralateral to the deprived eye
What happens to the ocular dominance columns of the undeprived eye and the deprived eye due to monocular deprivation?
the undeprived eye takes over territory normally occupied by the deprived eye (whose bands have shrunk)
What do the axonal arbors in the visual cortex look like after short term monocular deprivation?
they are shrunken and poorly developed
What is the critical period?
time window in development when connections are highly susceptible to input stimulus
How does monocular deprivation at different ages affect response?
The younger monocular deprivation occurs at, the more prominent the skewing is. The older the monocular deprivation occurs at, the more even distribution of cells in visual cortex
What does binocular deprivation lead to?
extension of the critical period and few binocular cells
What does binocular deprivation reveal about the mechanism behind the response of the visual cortex?
the issue is not disuse, but rather competition
Is critical period unique to visual development? What other systems have critical periods?
No, also involved in language acquisition and speech development, sensory-motor coordination, and social development
What is strabismus?
deviated eye, cross eye
Is strabismus a peripheral or central disorder? Ambylopia?
peripheral disorder, central disorder