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Bola Ł, Vetter P, Wenger M, Amedi A. Decoding Reach Direction in Early "Visual" Cortex of Congenitally Blind Individuals. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7868-7878. [PMID: 37783506 PMCID: PMC10648511 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0376-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Motor actions, such as reaching or grasping, can be decoded from fMRI activity of early visual cortex (EVC) in sighted humans. This effect can depend on vision or visual imagery, or alternatively, could be driven by mechanisms independent of visual experience. Here, we show that the actions of reaching in different directions can be reliably decoded from fMRI activity of EVC in congenitally blind humans (both sexes). Thus, neither visual experience nor visual imagery is necessary for EVC to represent action-related information. We also demonstrate that, within EVC of blind humans, the accuracy of reach direction decoding is highest in areas typically representing foveal vision and gradually decreases in areas typically representing peripheral vision. We propose that this might indicate the existence of a predictive, hard-wired mechanism of aligning action and visual spaces. This mechanism might send action-related information primarily to the high-resolution foveal visual areas, which are critical for guiding and online correction of motor actions. Finally, we show that, beyond EVC, the decoding of reach direction in blind humans is most accurate in dorsal stream areas known to be critical for visuo-spatial and visuo-motor integration in the sighted. Thus, these areas can develop space and action representations even in the lifelong absence of vision. Overall, our findings in congenitally blind humans match previous research on the action system in the sighted, and suggest that the development of action representations in the human brain might be largely independent of visual experience.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Early visual cortex (EVC) was traditionally thought to process only visual signals from the retina. Recent studies proved this account incomplete, and showed EVC involvement in many activities not directly related to incoming visual information, such as memory, sound, or action processing. Is EVC involved in these activities because of visual imagery? Here, we show robust reach direction representation in EVC of humans born blind. This demonstrates that EVC can represent actions independently of vision and visual imagery. Beyond EVC, we found that reach direction representation in blind humans is strongest in dorsal brain areas, critical for action processing in the sighted. This suggests that the development of action representations in the human brain is largely independent of visual experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Bola
- Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, 00-378, Poland
| | - Petra Vetter
- Visual & Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, 1700, Switzerland
| | - Mohr Wenger
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel, 91120
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel, 91120
- Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel, 461010
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Amaral L, Thomas P, Amedi A, Striem-Amit E. Longitudinal stability of individual brain plasticity patterns in blindness. bioRxiv 2023:2023.11.01.565196. [PMID: 37986779 PMCID: PMC10659359 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.01.565196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The primary visual cortex (V1) in individuals born blind is engaged in a wide spectrum of tasks and sensory modalities, including audition, touch, language, and memory. This widespread involvement raises questions regarding the constancy of its role and whether it might exhibit flexibility in its function over time, connecting to diverse network functions in response to task-specific demands. This would suggest that reorganized V1 takes on a role similar to cognitive multiple-demand system regions. Alternatively, it is possible that the varying patterns of plasticity observed in the blind V1 can be attributed to individual factors, whereby different blind individuals recruit V1 for different functions, highlighting the immense idiosyncrasy of plasticity. In support of this second account, we have recently shown that V1 functional connectivity varies greatly across blind individuals. But do these represent stable individual patterns of plasticity or merely instantaneous changes, for a multiple-demand system now inhabiting V1? Here we tested if individual connectivity patterns from the visual cortex of blind individuals are stable over time. We show that over two years, fMRI functional connectivity from the primary visual cortex is unique and highly stable in a small sample of repeatedly sampled congenitally blind individuals. Further, using multivoxel pattern analysis, we demonstrate that the unique reorganization patterns of these individuals allow decoding of participant identity. Together with recent evidence for substantial individual differences in visual cortex connectivity, this indicates there may be a consistent role for the visual cortex in blindness, which may differ for each individual. Further, it suggests that the variability in visual reorganization in blindness across individuals could be used to seek stable neuromarkers for sight rehabilitation and assistive approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lénia Amaral
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Peyton Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Amir Amedi
- Ivcher School of Psychology, The Institute for Brain, Mind and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- The Ruth & Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Ella Striem-Amit
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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Arbel R, Heimler B, Amedi A. Rapid plasticity in the ventral visual stream elicited by a newly learnt auditory script in congenitally blind adults. Neuropsychologia 2023; 190:108685. [PMID: 37741551 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence in the last decades has given rise to a new theory of brain organization, positing that cortical regions are recruited for specific tasks irrespective of the sensory modality via which information is channeled. For instance, the visual reading network has been shown to be recruited for reading via the tactile Braille code in congenitally blind adults. Yet, how rapidly non-typical sensory input modulates activity in typically visual regions is yet to be explored. To this aim, we developed a novel reading orthography, termed OVAL, enabling congenitally blind adults to quickly acquire reading via the auditory modality. OVAL uses the EyeMusic, a visual-to-auditory sensory-substitution-device (SSD) to transform visually presented letters optimized for auditory transformation into sound. Using fMRI, we show modulation in the right ventral visual stream following 2-h of same-day training. Crucially, following more extensive training (i.e., ∼12 h) we show that OVAL reading recruits the left ventral visual stream including the location of the Visual Word Form Area, a key graphene-responsive region within the visual reading network. Our results show that while after 2 h of SSD training we can already observe the recruitment of the deprived ventral visual stream by auditory stimuli, computation-selective cross-modal recruitment requires longer training to establish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roni Arbel
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel; Department of Pediatrics, Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Benedetta Heimler
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel; The Institute for Brain, Mind and Technology, Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzeliya, Israel; Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation (CATR), The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel; The Institute for Brain, Mind and Technology, Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzeliya, Israel
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Buchs G, Heimler B, Kerem M, Maidenbaum S, Braun L, Amedi A. Correction: A self-training program for sensory substitution devices. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287802. [PMID: 37352216 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250281.].
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Yizhar O, Tal Z, Amedi A. Loss of action-related function and connectivity in the blind extrastriate body area. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:973525. [PMID: 36968509 PMCID: PMC10035577 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.973525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The Extrastriate Body Area (EBA) participates in the visual perception and motor actions of body parts. We recently showed that EBA’s perceptual function develops independently of visual experience, responding to stimuli with body-part information in a supramodal fashion. However, it is still unclear if the EBA similarly maintains its action-related function. Here, we used fMRI to study motor-evoked responses and connectivity patterns in the congenitally blind brain. We found that, unlike the case of perception, EBA does not develop an action-related response without visual experience. In addition, we show that congenital blindness alters EBA’s connectivity profile in a counterintuitive way—functional connectivity with sensorimotor cortices dramatically decreases, whereas connectivity with perception-related visual occipital cortices remains high. To the best of our knowledge, we show for the first time that action-related functions and connectivity in the visual cortex could be contingent on visuomotor experience. We further discuss the role of the EBA within the context of visuomotor control and predictive coding theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Or Yizhar
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Ivcher School of Psychology, The Institute for Brain, Mind and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- Research Group Adaptive Memory and Decision Making, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- *Correspondence: Or Yizhar,
| | - Zohar Tal
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Amir Amedi
- Ivcher School of Psychology, The Institute for Brain, Mind and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- The Ruth & Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
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Aggius-Vella E, Chebat DR, Maidenbaum S, Amedi A. Activation of human visual area V6 during egocentric navigation with and without visual experience. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1211-1219.e5. [PMID: 36863342 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
V6 is a retinotopic area located in the dorsal visual stream that integrates eye movements with retinal and visuo-motor signals. Despite the known role of V6 in visual motion, it is unknown whether it is involved in navigation and how sensory experiences shape its functional properties. We explored the involvement of V6 in egocentric navigation in sighted and in congenitally blind (CB) participants navigating via an in-house distance-to-sound sensory substitution device (SSD), the EyeCane. We performed two fMRI experiments on two independent datasets. In the first experiment, CB and sighted participants navigated the same mazes. The sighted performed the mazes via vision, while the CB performed them via audition. The CB performed the mazes before and after a training session, using the EyeCane SSD. In the second experiment, a group of sighted participants performed a motor topography task. Our results show that right V6 (rhV6) is selectively involved in egocentric navigation independently of the sensory modality used. Indeed, after training, rhV6 of CB is selectively recruited for auditory navigation, similarly to rhV6 in the sighted. Moreover, we found activation for body movement in area V6, which can putatively contribute to its involvement in egocentric navigation. Taken together, our findings suggest that area rhV6 is a unique hub that transforms spatially relevant sensory information into an egocentric representation for navigation. While vision is clearly the dominant modality, rhV6 is in fact a supramodal area that can develop its selectivity for navigation in the absence of visual experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Aggius-Vella
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology, Reichman University, 4610101 Herzliya, Israel.
| | - Daniel-Robert Chebat
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ariel University, 4076414 Ariel, Israel; Navigation and Accessibility Research Center of Ariel University (NARCA), Ariel University, 4076414 Ariel, Israel.
| | - Shachar Maidenbaum
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501 Beersheba, Israel; Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501 Beersheba, Israel.
| | - Amir Amedi
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology, Reichman University, 4610101 Herzliya, Israel.
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Maimon A, Wald IY, Ben Oz M, Codron S, Netzer O, Heimler B, Amedi A. The Topo-Speech sensory substitution system as a method of conveying spatial information to the blind and vision impaired. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 16:1058093. [PMID: 36776219 PMCID: PMC9909096 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.1058093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans, like most animals, integrate sensory input in the brain from different sensory modalities. Yet humans are distinct in their ability to grasp symbolic input, which is interpreted into a cognitive mental representation of the world. This representation merges with external sensory input, providing modality integration of a different sort. This study evaluates the Topo-Speech algorithm in the blind and visually impaired. The system provides spatial information about the external world by applying sensory substitution alongside symbolic representations in a manner that corresponds with the unique way our brains acquire and process information. This is done by conveying spatial information, customarily acquired through vision, through the auditory channel, in a combination of sensory (auditory) features and symbolic language (named/spoken) features. The Topo-Speech sweeps the visual scene or image and represents objects' identity by employing naming in a spoken word and simultaneously conveying the objects' location by mapping the x-axis of the visual scene or image to the time it is announced and the y-axis by mapping the location to the pitch of the voice. This proof of concept study primarily explores the practical applicability of this approach in 22 visually impaired and blind individuals. The findings showed that individuals from both populations could effectively interpret and use the algorithm after a single training session. The blind showed an accuracy of 74.45%, while the visually impaired had an average accuracy of 72.74%. These results are comparable to those of the sighted, as shown in previous research, with all participants above chance level. As such, we demonstrate practically how aspects of spatial information can be transmitted through non-visual channels. To complement the findings, we weigh in on debates concerning models of spatial knowledge (the persistent, cumulative, or convergent models) and the capacity for spatial representation in the blind. We suggest the present study's findings support the convergence model and the scenario that posits the blind are capable of some aspects of spatial representation as depicted by the algorithm comparable to those of the sighted. Finally, we present possible future developments, implementations, and use cases for the system as an aid for the blind and visually impaired.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber Maimon
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel,The Ruth and Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel,*Correspondence: Amber Maimon,
| | - Iddo Yehoshua Wald
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel,The Ruth and Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Meshi Ben Oz
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel,The Ruth and Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Sophie Codron
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel,The Ruth and Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Ophir Netzer
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Benedetta Heimler
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation (CATR), Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel,The Ruth and Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
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Maimon A, Netzer O, Heimler B, Amedi A. Testing geometry and 3D perception in children following vision restoring cataract-removal surgery. Front Neurosci 2023; 16:962817. [PMID: 36711132 PMCID: PMC9879291 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.962817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
As neuroscience and rehabilitative techniques advance, age-old questions concerning the visual experience of those who gain sight after blindness, once thought to be philosophical alone, take center stage and become the target for scientific inquiries. In this study, we employ a battery of visual perception tasks to study the unique experience of a small group of children who have undergone vision-restoring cataract removal surgery as part of the Himalayan Cataract Project. We tested their abilities to perceive in three dimensions (3D) using a binocular rivalry task and the Brock string task, perceive visual illusions, use cross-modal mappings between touch and vision, and spatially group based on geometric cues. Some of the children in this study gained a sense of sight for the first time in their lives, having been born with bilateral congenital cataracts, while others suffered late-onset blindness in one eye alone. This study simultaneously supports yet raises further questions concerning Hubel and Wiesel's critical periods theory and provides additional insight into Molyneux's problem, the ability to correlate vision with touch quickly. We suggest that our findings present a relatively unexplored intermediate stage of 3D vision development. Importantly, we spotlight some essential geometrical perception visual abilities that strengthen the idea that spontaneous geometry intuitions arise independently from visual experience (and education), thus replicating and extending previous studies. We incorporate a new model, not previously explored, of testing children with congenital cataract removal surgeries who perform the task via vision. In contrast, previous work has explored these abilities in the congenitally blind via touch. Taken together, our findings provide insight into the development of what is commonly known as the visual system in the visually deprived and highlight the need to further empirically explore an amodal, task-based interpretation of specializations in the development and structure of the brain. Moreover, we propose a novel objective method, based on a simple binocular rivalry task and the Brock string task, for determining congenital (early) vs. late blindness where medical history and records are partial or lacking (e.g., as is often the case in cataract removal cases).
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber Maimon
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel,The Ruth & Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel,*Correspondence: Amber Maimon,
| | - Ophir Netzer
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Benedetta Heimler
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation (CATR), Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel,The Ruth & Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
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Linchevski I, Maimon A, Golland Y, Zeharia N, Amedi A, Levit-Binnun N. Integrating mind and body: Investigating differential activation of nodes of the default mode network. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2023; 41:115-127. [PMID: 37742669 PMCID: PMC10741374 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-231334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The default mode network (DMN) is a large-scale brain network tightly correlated with self and self-referential processing, activated by intrinsic tasks and deactivated by externally-directed tasks. OBJECTIVE In this study, we aim to investigate the novel approach of default mode activation during progressive muscle relaxation and examine whether differential activation patterns result from the movement of different body parts. METHODS We employed neuroimaging to investigate DMN activity during simple body movements, while performing progressive muscle relaxation. We focused on differentiating the neural response between facial movements and movements of other body parts. RESULTS Our results show that the movement of different body parts led to deactivation in several DMN nodes, namely the temporal poles, hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and posterior cingulate cortex. However, facial movement induced an inverted and selective positive BOLD pattern in some of these areas precisely. Moreover, areas in the temporal poles selective for face movement showed functional connectivity not only with the hippocampus and mPFC but also with the nucleus accumbens. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that both conceptual and embodied self-related processes, including body movements during progressive muscle relaxation, may be mapped onto shared brain networks. This could enhance our understanding of how practices like PMR influence DMN activity and potentially offer insights to inform therapeutic strategies that rely on mindful body movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inbal Linchevski
- Sagol Center for Brain and Mind, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Amber Maimon
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition and Technology, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- The Ruth & Meir Rosental Brain Imaging (MRI) Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Yulia Golland
- Sagol Center for Brain and Mind, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Noa Zeharia
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition and Technology, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition and Technology, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- The Ruth & Meir Rosental Brain Imaging (MRI) Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Nava Levit-Binnun
- Sagol Center for Brain and Mind, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
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Shvadron S, Snir A, Maimon A, Yizhar O, Harel S, Poradosu K, Amedi A. Shape detection beyond the visual field using a visual-to-auditory sensory augmentation device. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1058617. [PMID: 36936618 PMCID: PMC10017858 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1058617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Current advancements in both technology and science allow us to manipulate our sensory modalities in new and unexpected ways. In the present study, we explore the potential of expanding what we perceive through our natural senses by utilizing a visual-to-auditory sensory substitution device (SSD), the EyeMusic, an algorithm that converts images to sound. The EyeMusic was initially developed to allow blind individuals to create a spatial representation of information arriving from a video feed at a slow sampling rate. In this study, we aimed to use the EyeMusic for the blind areas of sighted individuals. We use it in this initial proof-of-concept study to test the ability of sighted subjects to combine visual information with surrounding auditory sonification representing visual information. Participants in this study were tasked with recognizing and adequately placing the stimuli, using sound to represent the areas outside the standard human visual field. As such, the participants were asked to report shapes' identities as well as their spatial orientation (front/right/back/left), requiring combined visual (90° frontal) and auditory input (the remaining 270°) for the successful performance of the task (content in both vision and audition was presented in a sweeping clockwise motion around the participant). We found that participants were successful at a highly above chance level after a brief 1-h-long session of online training and one on-site training session of an average of 20 min. They could even draw a 2D representation of this image in some cases. Participants could also generalize, recognizing new shapes they were not explicitly trained on. Our findings provide an initial proof of concept indicating that sensory augmentation devices and techniques can potentially be used in combination with natural sensory information in order to expand the natural fields of sensory perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shira Shvadron
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- The Ruth and Meir Rosenthal, Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- *Correspondence: Shira Shvadron,
| | - Adi Snir
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- The Ruth and Meir Rosenthal, Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Amber Maimon
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- The Ruth and Meir Rosenthal, Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Or Yizhar
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- The Ruth and Meir Rosenthal, Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- Research Group Adaptive Memory and Decision Making, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck Dahlem Campus of Cognition (MPDCC), Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sapir Harel
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- The Ruth and Meir Rosenthal, Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Keinan Poradosu
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- The Ruth and Meir Rosenthal, Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
- The Ruth and Meir Rosenthal, Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
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Arend I, Yuen K, Yizhar O, Chebat DR, Amedi A. Gyrification in relation to cortical thickness in the congenitally blind. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:970878. [DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.970878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Greater cortical gyrification (GY) is linked with enhanced cognitive abilities and is also negatively related to cortical thickness (CT). Individuals who are congenitally blind (CB) exhibits remarkable functional brain plasticity which enables them to perform certain non-visual and cognitive tasks with supranormal abilities. For instance, extensive training using touch and audition enables CB people to develop impressive skills and there is evidence linking these skills to cross-modal activations of primary visual areas. There is a cascade of anatomical, morphometric and functional-connectivity changes in non-visual structures, volumetric reductions in several components of the visual system, and CT is also increased in CB. No study to date has explored GY changes in this population, and no study has explored how variations in CT are related to GY changes in CB. T1-weighted 3D structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired to examine the effects of congenital visual deprivation in cortical structures in a healthy sample of 11 CB individuals (6 male) and 16 age-matched sighted controls (SC) (10 male). In this report, we show for the first time an increase in GY in several brain areas of CB individuals compared to SC, and a negative relationship between GY and CT in the CB brain in several different cortical areas. We discuss the implications of our findings and the contributions of developmental factors and synaptogenesis to the relationship between CT and GY in CB individuals compared to SC. F.
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Arbel R, Heimler B, Amedi A. Face shape processing via visual-to-auditory sensory substitution activates regions within the face processing networks in the absence of visual experience. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:921321. [PMID: 36263367 PMCID: PMC9576157 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.921321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous evidence suggests that visual experience is crucial for the emergence and tuning of the typical neural system for face recognition. To challenge this conclusion, we trained congenitally blind adults to recognize faces via visual-to-auditory sensory-substitution (SDD). Our results showed a preference for trained faces over other SSD-conveyed visual categories in the fusiform gyrus and in other known face-responsive-regions of the deprived ventral visual stream. We also observed a parametric modulation in the same cortical regions, for face orientation (upright vs. inverted) and face novelty (trained vs. untrained). Our results strengthen the conclusion that there is a predisposition for sensory-independent and computation-specific processing in specific cortical regions that can be retained in life-long sensory deprivation, independently of previous perceptual experience. They also highlight that if the right training is provided, such cortical preference maintains its tuning to what were considered visual-specific face features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roni Arbel
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Pediatrics, Hadassah University Hospital-Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel
- *Correspondence: Roni Arbel,
| | - Benedetta Heimler
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Ivcher School of Psychology, The Institute for Brain, Mind, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzeliya, Israel
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Ivcher School of Psychology, The Institute for Brain, Mind, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzeliya, Israel
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13
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Maimon A, Yizhar O, Buchs G, Heimler B, Amedi A. A case study in phenomenology of visual experience with retinal prosthesis versus visual-to-auditory sensory substitution. Neuropsychologia 2022; 173:108305. [PMID: 35752268 PMCID: PMC9297294 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The phenomenology of the blind has provided an age-old, unparalleled means of exploring the enigmatic link between the brain and mind. This paper delves into the unique phenomenological experience of a man who became blind in adulthood. He subsequently underwent both an Argus II retinal prosthesis implant and training, and extensive training on the EyeMusic visual to auditory sensory substitution device (SSD), thereby becoming the first reported case to date of dual proficiency with both devices. He offers a firsthand account into what he considers the great potential of combining sensory substitution devices with visual prostheses as part of a complete visual restoration protocol. While the Argus II retinal prosthesis alone provided him with immediate visual percepts by way of electrically stimulated phosphenes elicited by the device, the EyeMusic SSD requires extensive training from the onset. Yet following the extensive training program with the EyeMusic sensory substitution device, our subject reports that the sensory substitution device allowed him to experience a richer, more complex perceptual experience, that felt more "second nature" to him, while the Argus II prosthesis (which also requires training) did not allow him to achieve the same levels of automaticity and transparency. Following long-term use of the EyeMusic SSD, our subject reported that visual percepts representing mainly, but not limited to, colors portrayed by the EyeMusic SSD are elicited in association with auditory stimuli, indicating the acquisition of a high level of automaticity. Finally, the case study indicates an additive benefit to the combination of both devices on the user's subjective phenomenological visual experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber Maimon
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel; The Ruth & Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel.
| | - Or Yizhar
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel; Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel; Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Research Group Adaptive Memory and Decision Making, Berlin, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Max Planck Dahlem Campus of Cognition (MPDCC), Berlin, Germany
| | - Galit Buchs
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel; Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Benedetta Heimler
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation (CATR), Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel; The Ruth & Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel.
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14
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Arbel R, Heimler B, Amedi A. Congenitally blind adults can learn to identify face-shapes via auditory sensory substitution and successfully generalize some of the learned features. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4330. [PMID: 35288597 PMCID: PMC8921184 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08187-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike sighted individuals, congenitally blind individuals have little to no experience with face shapes. Instead, they rely on non-shape cues, such as voices, to perform character identification. The extent to which face-shape perception can be learned in adulthood via a different sensory modality (i.e., not vision) remains poorly explored. We used a visual-to-auditory Sensory Substitution Device (SSD) that enables conversion of visual images to the auditory modality while preserving their visual characteristics. Expert SSD users were systematically taught to identify cartoon faces via audition. Following a tailored training program lasting ~ 12 h, congenitally blind participants successfully identified six trained faces with high accuracy. Furthermore, they effectively generalized their identification to the untrained, inverted orientation of the learned faces. Finally, after completing the extensive 12-h training program, participants learned six new faces within 2 additional hours of training, suggesting internalization of face-identification processes. Our results document for the first time that facial features can be processed through audition, even in the absence of visual experience across the lifespan. Overall, these findings have important implications for both non-visual object recognition and visual rehabilitation practices and prompt the study of the neural processes underlying auditory face perception in the absence of vision.
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15
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Cieśla K, Wolak T, Lorens A, Mentzel M, Skarżyński H, Amedi A. Effects of training and using an audio-tactile sensory substitution device on speech-in-noise understanding. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3206. [PMID: 35217676 PMCID: PMC8881456 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06855-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding speech in background noise is challenging. Wearing face-masks, imposed by the COVID19-pandemics, makes it even harder. We developed a multi-sensory setup, including a sensory substitution device (SSD) that can deliver speech simultaneously through audition and as vibrations on the fingertips. The vibrations correspond to low frequencies extracted from the speech input. We trained two groups of non-native English speakers in understanding distorted speech in noise. After a short session (30-45 min) of repeating sentences, with or without concurrent matching vibrations, we showed comparable mean group improvement of 14-16 dB in Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) in two test conditions, i.e., when the participants were asked to repeat sentences only from hearing and also when matching vibrations on fingertips were present. This is a very strong effect, if one considers that a 10 dB difference corresponds to doubling of the perceived loudness. The number of sentence repetitions needed for both types of training to complete the task was comparable. Meanwhile, the mean group SNR for the audio-tactile training (14.7 ± 8.7) was significantly lower (harder) than for the auditory training (23.9 ± 11.8), which indicates a potential facilitating effect of the added vibrations. In addition, both before and after training most of the participants (70-80%) showed better performance (by mean 4-6 dB) in speech-in-noise understanding when the audio sentences were accompanied with matching vibrations. This is the same magnitude of multisensory benefit that we reported, with no training at all, in our previous study using the same experimental procedures. After training, performance in this test condition was also best in both groups (SRT ~ 2 dB). The least significant effect of both training types was found in the third test condition, i.e. when participants were repeating sentences accompanied with non-matching tactile vibrations and the performance in this condition was also poorest after training. The results indicate that both types of training may remove some level of difficulty in sound perception, which might enable a more proper use of speech inputs delivered via vibrotactile stimulation. We discuss the implications of these novel findings with respect to basic science. In particular, we show that even in adulthood, i.e. long after the classical "critical periods" of development have passed, a new pairing between a certain computation (here, speech processing) and an atypical sensory modality (here, touch) can be established and trained, and that this process can be rapid and intuitive. We further present possible applications of our training program and the SSD for auditory rehabilitation in patients with hearing (and sight) deficits, as well as healthy individuals in suboptimal acoustic situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Cieśla
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology and the Ruth and Meir Rosental Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel. .,World Hearing Centre, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - T Wolak
- World Hearing Centre, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland
| | - A Lorens
- World Hearing Centre, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Mentzel
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology and the Ruth and Meir Rosental Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - H Skarżyński
- World Hearing Centre, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland
| | - A Amedi
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology and the Ruth and Meir Rosental Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
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16
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Yizhar O, Giron J, Wenger M, Chetrit D, Ostrin G, Friedman D, Amedi A. Body Ownership of Anatomically Implausible Hands in Virtual Reality. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:713931. [PMID: 34803631 PMCID: PMC8595134 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.713931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Manipulating sensory and motor cues can cause an illusionary perception of ownership of a fake body part. Presumably, the illusion can work as long as the false body part's position and appearance are anatomically plausible. Here, we introduce an illusion that challenges past assumptions on body ownership. We used virtual reality to switch and mirror participants' views of their hands. When a participant moves their physical hand, they see the incongruent virtual hand moving. The result is an anatomically implausible configuration of the fake hand. Despite the hand switch, participants reported significant body ownership sensations over the virtual hands. In the first between-group experiment, we found that the strength of body ownership over the incongruent hands was similar to that of congruent hands. Whereas, in the second within-group experiment, anatomical incongruency significantly decreased body ownership. Still, participants reported significant body ownership sensations of the switched hands. Curiously, we found that perceived levels of agency mediate the effect of anatomical congruency on body ownership. These findings offer a fresh perspective on the relationship between anatomical plausibility and assumed body ownership. We propose that goal-directed and purposeful actions can override anatomical plausibility constraints and discuss this in the context of the immersive properties of virtual reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Or Yizhar
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Jonathan Giron
- Innovation Center, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Mohr Wenger
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Debbie Chetrit
- Sammy Ofer School of Communications, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Gilad Ostrin
- Sammy Ofer School of Communications, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Doron Friedman
- Sammy Ofer School of Communications, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel.,The Ruth & Meir Rosental Brain Imaging Center, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
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Vetter P, Bola L, Reich L, Bennett M, Muckli L, Amedi A. Decoding sounds in early “visual” cortex of the congenitally blind. J Vis 2021. [DOI: 10.1167/jov.21.9.2584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Amir Amedi
- Hebrew University Jerusalem
- Reichman University Herzliya
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18
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Netzer O, Heimler B, Shur A, Behor T, Amedi A. Backward spatial perception can be augmented through a novel visual-to-auditory sensory substitution algorithm. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11944. [PMID: 34099756 PMCID: PMC8184900 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88595-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Can humans extend and augment their natural perceptions during adulthood? Here, we address this fascinating question by investigating the extent to which it is possible to successfully augment visual spatial perception to include the backward spatial field (a region where humans are naturally blind) via other sensory modalities (i.e., audition). We thus developed a sensory-substitution algorithm, the “Topo-Speech” which conveys identity of objects through language, and their exact locations via vocal-sound manipulations, namely two key features of visual spatial perception. Using two different groups of blindfolded sighted participants, we tested the efficacy of this algorithm to successfully convey location of objects in the forward or backward spatial fields following ~ 10 min of training. Results showed that blindfolded sighted adults successfully used the Topo-Speech to locate objects on a 3 × 3 grid either positioned in front of them (forward condition), or behind their back (backward condition). Crucially, performances in the two conditions were entirely comparable. This suggests that novel spatial sensory information conveyed via our existing sensory systems can be successfully encoded to extend/augment human perceptions. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to spatial perception, sensory augmentation and sensory rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ophir Netzer
- The Cognitive Science Program, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Benedetta Heimler
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzeliya, Israel.,Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation (CATR), Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Amir Shur
- The Cognitive Science Program, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Tomer Behor
- The Cognitive Science Program, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzeliya, Israel. .,Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel.
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19
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Abstract
Sensory Substitution Devices (SSDs) convey visual information through audition or touch, targeting blind and visually impaired individuals. One bottleneck towards adopting SSDs in everyday life by blind users, is the constant dependency on sighted instructors throughout the learning process. Here, we present a proof-of-concept for the efficacy of an online self-training program developed for learning the basics of the EyeMusic visual-to-auditory SSD tested on sighted blindfolded participants. Additionally, aiming to identify the best training strategy to be later re-adapted for the blind, we compared multisensory vs. unisensory as well as perceptual vs. descriptive feedback approaches. To these aims, sighted participants performed identical SSD-stimuli identification tests before and after ~75 minutes of self-training on the EyeMusic algorithm. Participants were divided into five groups, differing by the feedback delivered during training: auditory-descriptive, audio-visual textual description, audio-visual perceptual simultaneous and interleaved, and a control group which had no training. At baseline, before any EyeMusic training, participants SSD objects’ identification was significantly above chance, highlighting the algorithm’s intuitiveness. Furthermore, self-training led to a significant improvement in accuracy between pre- and post-training tests in each of the four feedback groups versus control, though no significant difference emerged among those groups. Nonetheless, significant correlations between individual post-training success rates and various learning measures acquired during training, suggest a trend for an advantage of multisensory vs. unisensory feedback strategies, while no trend emerged for perceptual vs. descriptive strategies. The success at baseline strengthens the conclusion that cross-modal correspondences facilitate learning, given SSD algorithms are based on such correspondences. Additionally, and crucially, the results highlight the feasibility of self-training for the first stages of SSD learning, and suggest that for these initial stages, unisensory training, easily implemented also for blind and visually impaired individuals, may suffice. Together, these findings will potentially boost the use of SSDs for rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galit Buchs
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute For Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzeliya, Israel
- Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- * E-mail: (AA); (GB)
| | - Benedetta Haimler
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute For Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzeliya, Israel
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation (CATR), The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Menachem Kerem
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute For Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzeliya, Israel
| | - Shachar Maidenbaum
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute For Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzeliya, Israel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben Gurion University, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Liraz Braun
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute For Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzeliya, Israel
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute For Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzeliya, Israel
- * E-mail: (AA); (GB)
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20
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Heimler B, Behor T, Dehaene S, Izard V, Amedi A. Core knowledge of geometry can develop independently of visual experience. Cognition 2021; 212:104716. [PMID: 33895652 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Geometrical intuitions spontaneously drive visuo-spatial reasoning in human adults, children and animals. Is their emergence intrinsically linked to visual experience, or does it reflect a core property of cognition shared across sensory modalities? To address this question, we tested the sensitivity of blind-from-birth adults to geometrical-invariants using a haptic deviant-figure detection task. Blind participants spontaneously used many geometric concepts such as parallelism, right angles and geometrical shapes to detect intruders in haptic displays, but experienced difficulties with symmetry and complex spatial transformations. Across items, their performance was highly correlated with that of sighted adults performing the same task in touch (blindfolded) and in vision, as well as with the performances of uneducated preschoolers and Amazonian adults. Our results support the existence of an amodal core-system of geometry that arises independently of visual experience. However, performance at selecting geometric intruders was generally higher in the visual compared to the haptic modality, suggesting that sensory-specific spatial experience may play a role in refining the properties of this core-system of geometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetta Heimler
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel; The Baruch Ivcher Institute For Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzeliya, Israel; Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation (CATR), Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
| | - Tomer Behor
- The Cognitive Science Program, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France; Collège de France, 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Véronique Izard
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Université de Paris, 45 rue des Saints-Pères, 75006 Paris, France; CNRS UMR 8002, 45 rue des Saints-Pères, 75006 Paris, France
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel; The Baruch Ivcher Institute For Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzeliya, Israel; The Cognitive Science Program, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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21
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Hofstetter S, Zuiderbaan W, Heimler B, Dumoulin SO, Amedi A. Topographic maps and neural tuning for sensory substitution dimensions learned in adulthood in a congenital blind subject. Neuroimage 2021; 235:118029. [PMID: 33836269 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Topographic maps, a key principle of brain organization, emerge during development. It remains unclear, however, whether topographic maps can represent a new sensory experience learned in adulthood. MaMe, a congenitally blind individual, has been extensively trained in adulthood for perception of a 2D auditory-space (soundscape) where the y- and x-axes are represented by pitch and time, respectively. Using population receptive field mapping we found neural populations tuned topographically to pitch, not only in the auditory cortices but also in the parietal and occipito-temporal cortices. Topographic neural tuning to time was revealed in the parietal and occipito-temporal cortices. Some of these maps were found to represent both axes concurrently, enabling MaMe to represent unique locations in the soundscape space. This case study provides proof of concept for the existence of topographic maps tuned to the newly learned soundscape dimensions. These results suggest that topographic maps can be adapted or recycled in adulthood to represent novel sensory experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shir Hofstetter
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Meibergdreef 75, Amsterdam, BK 1105 Netherlands.
| | - Wietske Zuiderbaan
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Meibergdreef 75, Amsterdam, BK 1105 Netherlands
| | - Benedetta Heimler
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Mind & Technology, School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, P.O. Box 167, Herzliya 46150, Israel; Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation (CATR), Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Serge O Dumoulin
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Meibergdreef 75, Amsterdam, BK 1105 Netherlands; Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, BT 1181, Netherlands; Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, CS 3584, Netherlands.
| | - Amir Amedi
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Mind & Technology, School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, P.O. Box 167, Herzliya 46150, Israel.
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22
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Arbel R, Heimler B, Amedi A. The sound of reading: Color-to-timbre substitution boosts reading performance via OVAL, a novel auditory orthography optimized for visual-to-auditory mapping. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0242619. [PMID: 33237931 PMCID: PMC7688106 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading is a unique human cognitive skill and its acquisition was proven to extensively affect both brain organization and neuroanatomy. Differently from western sighted individuals, literacy rates via tactile reading systems, such as Braille, are declining, thus imposing an alarming threat to literacy among non-visual readers. This decline is due to many reasons including the length of training needed to master Braille, which must also include extensive tactile sensitivity exercises, the lack of proper Braille instruction and the high costs of Braille devices. The far-reaching consequences of low literacy rates, raise the need to develop alternative, cheap and easy-to-master non-visual reading systems. To this aim, we developed OVAL, a new auditory orthography based on a visual-to-auditory sensory-substitution algorithm. Here we present its efficacy for successful words-reading, and investigation of the extent to which redundant features defining characters (i.e., adding specific colors to letters conveyed into audition via different musical instruments) facilitate or impede auditory reading outcomes. Thus, we tested two groups of blindfolded sighted participants who were either exposed to a monochromatic or to a color version of OVAL. First, we showed that even before training, all participants were able to discriminate between 11 OVAL characters significantly more than chance level. Following 6 hours of specific OVAL training, participants were able to identify all the learned characters, differentiate them from untrained letters, and read short words/pseudo-words of up to 5 characters. The Color group outperformed the Monochromatic group in all tasks, suggesting that redundant characters' features are beneficial for auditory reading. Overall, these results suggest that OVAL is a promising auditory-reading tool that can be used by blind individuals, by people with reading deficits as well as for the investigation of reading specific processing dissociated from the visual modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roni Arbel
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Carem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Benedetta Heimler
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Carem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute For Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Carem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute For Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
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23
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Heimler B, Amedi A. Are critical periods reversible in the adult brain? Insights on cortical specializations based on sensory deprivation studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 116:494-507. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Vetter P, Bola Ł, Reich L, Bennett M, Muckli L, Amedi A. Decoding Natural Sounds in Early "Visual" Cortex of Congenitally Blind Individuals. Curr Biol 2020; 30:3039-3044.e2. [PMID: 32559449 PMCID: PMC7416107 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.05.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Complex natural sounds, such as bird singing, people talking, or traffic noise, induce decodable fMRI activation patterns in early visual cortex of sighted blindfolded participants [1]. That is, early visual cortex receives non-visual and potentially predictive information from audition. However, it is unclear whether the transfer of auditory information to early visual areas is an epiphenomenon of visual imagery or, alternatively, whether it is driven by mechanisms independent from visual experience. Here, we show that we can decode natural sounds from activity patterns in early “visual” areas of congenitally blind individuals who lack visual imagery. Thus, visual imagery is not a prerequisite of auditory feedback to early visual cortex. Furthermore, the spatial pattern of sound decoding accuracy in early visual cortex was remarkably similar in blind and sighted individuals, with an increasing decoding accuracy gradient from foveal to peripheral regions. This suggests that the typical organization by eccentricity of early visual cortex develops for auditory feedback, even in the lifelong absence of vision. The same feedback to early visual cortex might support visual perception in the sighted [1] and drive the recruitment of this area for non-visual functions in blind individuals [2, 3]. Sounds can be decoded from early visual cortex activity in blind individuals Sound decoding accuracy increases from foveal to peripheral early visual regions Visual imagery is not necessary for auditory feedback to early visual cortex Early visual cortex organization by eccentricity develops without visual experience
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Vetter
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK.
| | - Łukasz Bola
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, ul. Ingardena 6, 30-060 Kraków, Poland; Department of Psychology, Harvard University, William James Hall, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Lior Reich
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Ein Kerem, PO Box 12271, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Matthew Bennett
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, 62 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QB, UK
| | - Lars Muckli
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, 62 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QB, UK
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Ein Kerem, PO Box 12271, Jerusalem 91120, Israel; The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology, The Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Reichman University, PO Box 167, Herzliya 461010, Israel
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25
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Hofstetter S, Sabbah N, Mohand-Saïd S, Sahel JA, Habas C, Safran AB, Amedi A. The development of white matter structural changes during the process of deterioration of the visual field. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2085. [PMID: 30765782 PMCID: PMC6375971 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-38430-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that white matter plasticity in the adult brain is preserved after sensory and behavioral modifications. However, little is known about the progression of structural changes during the process of decline in visual input. Here we studied two groups of patients suffering from advanced retinitis pigmentosa with specific deterioration of the visual field: patients who had lost their peripheral visual field, retaining only central (“tunnel”) vision, and blind patients with complete visual field loss. Testing of these homogeneous groups made it possible to assess the extent to which the white matter is affected by loss of partial visual input and whether partially preserved visual input suffices to sustain stability in tracts beyond the primary visual system. Our results showed gradual changes in diffusivity that are indicative of degenerative processes in the primary visual pathway comprising the optic tract and the optic radiation. Interestingly, changes were also found in tracts of the ventral stream and the corticospinal fasciculus, depicting a gradual reorganisation of these tracts consequentially to the gradual loss of visual field coverage (from intact perception to partial vision to complete blindness). This reorganisation may point to microstructural plasticity underlying adaptive behavior and cross-modal integration after partial visual deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shir Hofstetter
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91220, Jerusalem, Israel. .,The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91220, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Norman Sabbah
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, F-75012, Paris, France
| | - Saddek Mohand-Saïd
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, F-75012, Paris, France.,CHNO des Quinze-Vingts, DHU Sight Restore, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, F-75012, Paris, France
| | - José-Alain Sahel
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, F-75012, Paris, France.,CHNO des Quinze-Vingts, DHU Sight Restore, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, F-75012, Paris, France.,Fondation Ophtalmologique A. de Rothschild, F-75019, Paris, France.,Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Christophe Habas
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, F-75012, Paris, France.,CHNO des Quinze-Vingts, DHU Sight Restore, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, F-75012, Paris, France.,Centre de Neuro-Imagerie, Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, Paris, F-75012, France
| | - Avinoam B Safran
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, F-75012, Paris, France.,CHNO des Quinze-Vingts, DHU Sight Restore, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, F-75012, Paris, France.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91220, Jerusalem, Israel. .,The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91220, Jerusalem, Israel. .,Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, F-75012, Paris, France. .,The Cognitive Science Program, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91220, Jerusalem, Israel.
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26
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Cieśla K, Wolak T, Lorens A, Heimler B, Skarżyński H, Amedi A. Immediate improvement of speech-in-noise perception through multisensory stimulation via an auditory to tactile sensory substitution. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2019; 37:155-166. [PMID: 31006700 PMCID: PMC6598101 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-190898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hearing loss is becoming a real social and health problem. Its prevalence in the elderly is an epidemic. The risk of developing hearing loss is also growing among younger people. If left untreated, hearing loss can perpetuate development of neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia. Despite recent advancements in hearing aid (HA) and cochlear implant (CI) technologies, hearing impaired users still encounter significant practical and social challenges, with or without aids. In particular, they all struggle with understanding speech in challenging acoustic environments, especially in presence of a competing speaker. OBJECTIVES In the current proof-of-concept study we tested whether multisensory stimulation, pairing audition and a minimal-size touch device would improve intelligibility of speech in noise. METHODS To this aim we developed an audio-to-tactile sensory substitution device (SSD) transforming low-frequency speech signals into tactile vibrations delivered on two finger tips. Based on the inverse effectiveness law, i.e., multisensory enhancement is strongest when signal-to-noise ratio is lowest between senses, we embedded non-native language stimuli in speech-like noise and paired it with a low-frequency input conveyed through touch. RESULTS We found immediate and robust improvement in speech recognition (i.e. in the Signal-To-Noise-ratio) in the multisensory condition without any training, at a group level as well as in every participant. The reported improvement at the group-level of 6 dB was indeed major considering that an increase of 10 dB represents a doubling of the perceived loudness. CONCLUSIONS These results are especially relevant when compared to previous SSD studies showing effects in behavior only after a demanding cognitive training. We discuss the implications of our results for development of SSDs and of specific rehabilitation programs for the hearing impaired either using or not using HAs or CIs. We also discuss the potential application of such a set-up for sense augmentation, such as when learning a new language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Cieśla
- Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, World Hearing Center, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Tomasz Wolak
- Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, World Hearing Center, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Artur Lorens
- Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, World Hearing Center, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Benedetta Heimler
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Henryk Skarżyński
- Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, World Hearing Center, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Cognitive Science Program, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Buchs G, Heimler B, Amedi A. The Effect of Irrelevant Environmental Noise on the Performance of Visual-to-Auditory Sensory Substitution Devices Used by Blind Adults. Multisens Res 2019; 32:87-109. [DOI: 10.1163/22134808-20181327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Visual-to-auditory Sensory Substitution Devices (SSDs) are a family of non-invasive devices for visual rehabilitation aiming at conveying whole-scene visual information through the intact auditory modality. Although proven effective in lab environments, the use of SSDs has yet to be systematically tested in real-life situations. To start filling this gap, in the present work we tested the ability of expert SSD users to filter out irrelevant background noise while focusing on the relevant audio information. Specifically, nine blind expert users of the EyeMusic visual-to-auditory SSD performed a series of identification tasks via SSDs (i.e., shape, color, and conjunction of the two features). Their performance was compared in two separate conditions: silent baseline, and with irrelevant background sounds from real-life situations, using the same stimuli in a pseudo-random balanced design. Although the participants described the background noise as disturbing, no significant performance differences emerged between the two conditions (i.e., noisy; silent) for any of the tasks. In the conjunction task (shape and color) we found a non-significant trend for a disturbing effect of the background noise on performance. These findings suggest that visual-to-auditory SSDs can indeed be successfully used in noisy environments and that users can still focus on relevant auditory information while inhibiting irrelevant sounds. Our findings take a step towards the actual use of SSDs in real-life situations while potentially impacting rehabilitation of sensory deprived individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galit Buchs
- 1Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Benedetta Heimler
- 2The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
- 3Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- 1Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
- 2The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
- 3Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
- 4Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, Institut de la Vision Paris, France
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Hofstetter S, Zuiderbaan W, Dumoulin S, Amedi A. The mapping and reconstruction of the brain's mind eye in the absence of visual experience: a population receptive field mapping of soundscape space. J Vis 2018. [DOI: 10.1167/18.10.1228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Serge Dumoulin
- The Spinoza Centre for NeuroimaingExperimental Psychology, Utrecht University
| | - Amir Amedi
- Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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Buchs G, Simon N, Maidenbaum S, Amedi A. Waist-up protection for blind individuals using the EyeCane as a primary and secondary mobility aid. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2018; 35:225-235. [PMID: 28157111 PMCID: PMC5366249 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-160686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Background: One of the most stirring statistics in relation to the mobility of blind individuals is the high rate of upper body injuries, even when using the white-cane. Objective: We here addressed a rehabilitation- oriented challenge of providing a reliable tool for blind people to avoid waist-up obstacles, namely one of the impediments to their successful mobility using currently available methods (e.g., white-cane). Methods: We used the EyeCane, a device we developed which translates distances from several angles to haptic and auditory cues in an intuitive and unobtrusive manner, serving both as a primary and secondary mobility aid. We investigated the rehabilitation potential of such a device in facilitating visionless waist-up body protection. Results: After ∼5 minutes of training with the EyeCane blind participants were able to successfully detect and avoid obstacles waist-high and up. This was significantly higher than their success when using the white-cane alone. As avoidance of obstacles required participants to perform an additional cognitive process after their detection, the avoidance rate was significantly lower than the detection rate. Conclusion: Our work has demonstrated that the EyeCane has the potential to extend the sensory world of blind individuals by expanding their currently accessible inputs, and has offered them a new practical rehabilitation tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galit Buchs
- Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Noa Simon
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shachar Maidenbaum
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel.,The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
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30
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Sabbah N, Sanda N, Authié CN, Mohand-Saïd S, Sahel JA, Habas C, Amedi A, Safran AB. Reorganization of early visual cortex functional connectivity following selective peripheral and central visual loss. Sci Rep 2017; 7:43223. [PMID: 28233790 PMCID: PMC5324137 DOI: 10.1038/srep43223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral alterations emerging after central or peripheral vision loss suggest that cerebral reorganization occurs for both the afferented and deafferented early visual cortex (EVC). We explored the functional reorganization of the central and peripheral EVC following visual field defects specifically affecting central or peripheral vision. Compared to normally sighted, afferented central and peripheral EVC enhance their functional connectivity with areas involved in visual processing, whereas deafferented central and peripheral EVC increase their functional connectivity with more remote regions. The connectivity pattern of afferented EVC suggests adaptive changes that might enhance the visual processing capacity whereas the connectivity pattern of deafferented EVC may reflect the involvement of these regions in high-order mechanisms. Characterizing and understanding the plastic changes induced by these visual defects is essential for any attempt to develop efficient rehabilitation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norman Sabbah
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, UMR S968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,INSERM, U968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,CNRS, UMR 7210, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,Centre d'investigation clinique, Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, Paris, F-75012, France
| | - Nicolae Sanda
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, UMR S968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,INSERM, U968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,CNRS, UMR 7210, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,Centre d'investigation clinique, Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, Paris, F-75012, France.,Service de neurologie, Hôpital Foch, Suresnes, France
| | - Colas N Authié
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, UMR S968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,INSERM, U968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,CNRS, UMR 7210, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,Centre d'investigation clinique, Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, Paris, F-75012, France
| | - Saddek Mohand-Saïd
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, UMR S968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,INSERM, U968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,CNRS, UMR 7210, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,Centre d'investigation clinique, Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, Paris, F-75012, France
| | - José-Alain Sahel
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, UMR S968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,INSERM, U968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,CNRS, UMR 7210, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,Centre d'investigation clinique, Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, Paris, F-75012, France.,Institute of Ophthalmology, University College of London, United Kingdom.,Fondation Ophtalmologique Adolphe de Rothschild, Paris, France.,Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, US
| | - Christophe Habas
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, UMR S968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,INSERM, U968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,CNRS, UMR 7210, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,Centre de neuroimagerie, Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, Paris, F-75012, France
| | - Amir Amedi
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, UMR S968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,INSERM, U968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,CNRS, UMR 7210, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,Department of Medical Neurobiology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel.,The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel.,The Cognitive Science Program, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel
| | - Avinoam B Safran
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, UMR S968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,INSERM, U968, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,CNRS, UMR 7210, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France.,Centre d'investigation clinique, Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, Paris, F-75012, France.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
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31
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Tal Z, Geva R, Amedi A. Positive and Negative Somatotopic BOLD Responses in Contralateral Versus Ipsilateral Penfield Homunculus. Cereb Cortex 2017; 27:962-980. [PMID: 28168279 PMCID: PMC6093432 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the basic properties of sensory cortices is their topographical organization. Most imaging studies explored this organization using the positive blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal. Here, we studied the topographical organization of both positive and negative BOLD in contralateral and ipsilateral primary somatosensory cortex (S1). Using phase-locking mapping methods, we verified the topographical organization of contralateral S1, and further showed that different body segments elicit pronounced negative BOLD responses in both hemispheres. In the contralateral hemisphere, we found a sharpening mechanism in which stimulation of a given body segment triggered a gradient of activation with a significant deactivation in more remote areas. In the ipsilateral cortex, deactivation was not only located in the homolog area of the stimulated parts but rather was widespread across many parts of S1. Additionally, analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging signal showed a gradient of connectivity to the neighboring contralateral body parts as well as to the ipsilateral homologous area for each body part. Taken together, our results indicate a complex pattern of baseline and activity-dependent responses in the contralateral and ipsilateral sides. Both primary sensory areas were characterized by unique negative BOLD responses, suggesting that they are an important component in topographic organization of sensory cortices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zohar Tal
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research Israel – Canada (IMRIC), Faculty of Medicine
| | - Ran Geva
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research Israel – Canada (IMRIC), Faculty of Medicine
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research Israel – Canada (IMRIC), Faculty of Medicine
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Science (ELSC)
- Program of Cognitive Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel
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32
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Arbel-Yaffe R, Amedi A. Auditory face identification activates selective areas within the ventral visual stream in congenitally blind. J Vis 2016. [DOI: 10.1167/16.12.1229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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33
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Murray MM, Lewkowicz DJ, Amedi A, Wallace MT. Multisensory Processes: A Balancing Act across the Lifespan. Trends Neurosci 2016; 39:567-579. [PMID: 27282408 PMCID: PMC4967384 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2016.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Revised: 04/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Multisensory processes are fundamental in scaffolding perception, cognition, learning, and behavior. How and when stimuli from different sensory modalities are integrated rather than treated as separate entities is poorly understood. We review how the relative reliance on stimulus characteristics versus learned associations dynamically shapes multisensory processes. We illustrate the dynamism in multisensory function across two timescales: one long term that operates across the lifespan and one short term that operates during the learning of new multisensory relations. In addition, we highlight the importance of task contingencies. We conclude that these highly dynamic multisensory processes, based on the relative weighting of stimulus characteristics and learned associations, provide both stability and flexibility to brain functions over a wide range of temporal scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micah M Murray
- The Laboratory for Investigative Neurophysiology (The LINE), Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Department of Radiology, University Hospital Centre and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Electroencephalography Brain Mapping Core, Centre for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Lausanne, Jules Gonin Eye Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - David J Lewkowicz
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC), Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel; Interdisciplinary and Cognitive Science Program, The Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Mark T Wallace
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
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34
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Sabbah N, Authié CN, Sanda N, Mohand-Saïd S, Sahel JA, Safran AB, Habas C, Amedi A. Increased functional connectivity between language and visually deprived areas in late and partial blindness. Neuroimage 2016; 136:162-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.04.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Revised: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
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35
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Abstract
Studying the brains of blind individuals provides a unique opportunity to investigate how the brain changes and adapts in response to afferent (input) and efferent (output) demands. We discuss evidence suggesting that regions of the brain normally associated with the processing of visual information undergo remarkable dynamic change in response to blindness. These neuroplastic changes implicate not only processing carried out by the remaining senses but also higher cognitive functions such as language and memory. A strong emphasis is placed on evidence obtained from advanced neuroimaging techniques that allow researchers to identify areas of human brain activity, as well as from lesion approaches (both reversible and irreversible) to address the functional relevance and role of these activated areas. A possible mechanism and conceptual framework for these physiological and behavioral changes is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Amedi
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
| | - Lotfi B. Merabet
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
| | - Felix Bermpohl
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
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36
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Abstract
A pair of recent studies shows that congenital blindness can have significant consequences for the functioning of the visual system after sight restoration, particularly if that restoration is delayed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micah M Murray
- The Laboratory for Investigative Neurophysiology (The LINE), Department of Radiology & Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital Centre and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; The Electroencephalography Brain Mapping Core, Centre for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), University Hospital Centre and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Lausanne, Jules-Gonin Eye Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
| | - Pawel J Matusz
- The Laboratory for Investigative Neurophysiology (The LINE), Department of Radiology & Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital Centre and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty in Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland; Attention, Brain and Cognitive Development Group, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC), Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel; The Edmond & Lily Safra Centre for Brain Sciences (ELSC), and Cognitive Science Program Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Institut de la Vision, UMR_S 968, Paris, F-75012, France.
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Peer M, Abboud S, Hertz U, Amedi A, Arzy S. Intensity-based masking: A tool to improve functional connectivity results of resting-state fMRI. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 37:2407-18. [PMID: 27018565 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Revised: 02/13/2016] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Seed-based functional connectivity (FC) of resting-state functional MRI data is a widely used methodology, enabling the identification of functional brain networks in health and disease. Based on signal correlations across the brain, FC measures are highly sensitive to noise. A somewhat neglected source of noise is the fMRI signal attenuation found in cortical regions in close vicinity to sinuses and air cavities, mainly in the orbitofrontal, anterior frontal and inferior temporal cortices. BOLD signal recorded at these regions suffers from dropout due to susceptibility artifacts, resulting in an attenuated signal with reduced signal-to-noise ratio in as many as 10% of cortical voxels. Nevertheless, signal attenuation is largely overlooked during FC analysis. Here we first demonstrate that signal attenuation can significantly influence FC measures by introducing false functional correlations and diminishing existing correlations between brain regions. We then propose a method for the detection and removal of the attenuated signal ("intensity-based masking") by fitting a Gaussian-based model to the signal intensity distribution and calculating an intensity threshold tailored per subject. Finally, we apply our method on real-world data, showing that it diminishes false correlations caused by signal dropout, and significantly improves the ability to detect functional networks in single subjects. Furthermore, we show that our method increases inter-subject similarity in FC, enabling reliable distinction of different functional networks. We propose to include the intensity-based masking method as a common practice in the pre-processing of seed-based functional connectivity analysis, and provide software tools for the computation of intensity-based masks on fMRI data. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2407-2418, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Peer
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel.,Department of Neurology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel
| | - Sami Abboud
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel.,Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06 UMR S 1127, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris, F-75013, France
| | - Uri Hertz
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel.,UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, Alexandra House, London, WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel.,The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel.,The Cognitive Science Program, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel
| | - Shahar Arzy
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel.,Department of Neurology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel
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Abstract
Virtual environments are becoming ubiquitous, and used in a variety of contexts–from entertainment to training and rehabilitation. Recently, technology for making them more accessible to blind or visually impaired users has been developed, by using sound to represent visual information. The ability of older individuals to interpret these cues has not yet been studied. In this experiment, we studied the effects of age and sensory modality (visual or auditory) on navigation through a virtual maze. We added a layer of complexity by conducting the experiment in a rotating room, in order to test the effect of the spatial bias induced by the rotation on performance. Results from 29 participants showed that with the auditory cues, it took participants a longer time to complete the mazes, they took a longer path length through the maze, they paused more, and had more collisions with the walls, compared to navigation with the visual cues. The older group took a longer time to complete the mazes, they paused more, and had more collisions with the walls, compared to the younger group. There was no effect of room rotation on the performance, nor were there any significant interactions among age, feedback modality and room rotation. We conclude that there is a decline in performance with age, and that while navigation with auditory cues is possible even at an old age, it presents more challenges than visual navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Levy-Tzedek
- Recanati School for Community Health Professions, Department of Physical Therapy, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- * E-mail:
| | - S. Maidenbaum
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - A. Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - J. Lackner
- Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Siuda-Krzywicka K, Bola Ł, Paplińska M, Sumera E, Jednoróg K, Marchewka A, Śliwińska MW, Amedi A, Szwed M. Massive cortical reorganization in sighted Braille readers. eLife 2016; 5:e10762. [PMID: 26976813 PMCID: PMC4805536 DOI: 10.7554/elife.10762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain is capable of large-scale reorganization in blindness or after massive injury. Such reorganization crosses the division into separate sensory cortices (visual, somatosensory...). As its result, the visual cortex of the blind becomes active during tactile Braille reading. Although the possibility of such reorganization in the normal, adult brain has been raised, definitive evidence has been lacking. Here, we demonstrate such extensive reorganization in normal, sighted adults who learned Braille while their brain activity was investigated with fMRI and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Subjects showed enhanced activity for tactile reading in the visual cortex, including the visual word form area (VWFA) that was modulated by their Braille reading speed and strengthened resting-state connectivity between visual and somatosensory cortices. Moreover, TMS disruption of VWFA activity decreased their tactile reading accuracy. Our results indicate that large-scale reorganization is a viable mechanism recruited when learning complex skills. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10762.001 According to most textbooks, our brain is divided into separate areas that are dedicated to specific senses. We have a visual cortex for vision, a tactile cortex for touch, and so on. However, researchers suspect that this division might not be as fixed as the textbooks say. For example, blind people can switch their 'leftover' visual cortex to non-visual purposes, such as reading Braille – a tactile alphabet. Can this switch in functional organization also happen in healthy people with normal vision? To investigate this, Siuda-Krzywicka, Bola et al. taught a group of healthy, sighted people to read Braille by touch, and monitored the changes in brain activity that this caused using a technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging. According to textbooks, tactile reading should engage the tactile cortex. Yet, the experiment revealed that the brain activity critical for reading Braille by touch did not occur in the volunteers’ tactile cortex, but in their visual cortex. Further experiments used a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation to suppress the activity of the visual cortex of the volunteers. This impaired their ability to read Braille by touch. This is a clear-cut proof that sighted adults can re-program their visual cortex for non-visual, tactile purposes. These results show that intensive training in a complex task can overcome the sensory division-of-labor of our brain. This indicates that our brain is much more flexible than previously thought, and that such flexibility might occur when we learn everyday, complex skills such as driving a car or playing a musical instrument. The next question that follows from this work is: what enables the brain’s activity to change after learning to read Braille? To understand this, Siuda-Krzywicka, Bola et al. are currently exploring how the physical structure of the brain changes as a result of a person acquiring the ability to read Braille by touch. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10762.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Siuda-Krzywicka
- Department of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.,INSERM U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Universités, and Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, UMR S 1127, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), Paris, France
| | - Łukasz Bola
- Department of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.,Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Ewa Sumera
- Institute for the Blind and Partially Sighted Children in Krakow, Kraków, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Jednoróg
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Artur Marchewka
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena W Śliwińska
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Amir Amedi
- The Cognitive Science Program, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Medical Neurobiology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Sorbonne Universite´s, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Marcin Szwed
- Department of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
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Maidenbaum S, Buchs G, Abboud S, Lavi-Rotbain O, Amedi A. Perception of Graphical Virtual Environments by Blind Users via Sensory Substitution. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0147501. [PMID: 26882473 PMCID: PMC4755598 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Graphical virtual environments are currently far from accessible to blind users as their content is mostly visual. This is especially unfortunate as these environments hold great potential for this population for purposes such as safe orientation, education, and entertainment. Previous tools have increased accessibility but there is still a long way to go. Visual-to-audio Sensory-Substitution-Devices (SSDs) can increase accessibility generically by sonifying on-screen content regardless of the specific environment and offer increased accessibility without the use of expensive dedicated peripherals like electrode/vibrator arrays. Using SSDs virtually utilizes similar skills as when using them in the real world, enabling both training on the device and training on environments virtually before real-world visits. This could enable more complex, standardized and autonomous SSD training and new insights into multisensory interaction and the visually-deprived brain. However, whether congenitally blind users, who have never experienced virtual environments, will be able to use this information for successful perception and interaction within them is currently unclear.We tested this using the EyeMusic SSD, which conveys whole-scene visual information, to perform virtual tasks otherwise impossible without vision. Congenitally blind users had to navigate virtual environments and find doors, differentiate between them based on their features (Experiment1:task1) and surroundings (Experiment1:task2) and walk through them; these tasks were accomplished with a 95% and 97% success rate, respectively. We further explored the reactions of congenitally blind users during their first interaction with a more complex virtual environment than in the previous tasks-walking down a virtual street, recognizing different features of houses and trees, navigating to cross-walks, etc. Users reacted enthusiastically and reported feeling immersed within the environment. They highlighted the potential usefulness of such environments for understanding what visual scenes are supposed to look like and their potential for complex training and suggested many future environments they wished to experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shachar Maidenbaum
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Galit Buchs
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Sami Abboud
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ori Lavi-Rotbain
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, Institut de la Vision Paris, Paris, France
- * E-mail:
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Buchs G, Maidenbaum S, Levy-Tzedek S, Amedi A. Integration and binding in rehabilitative sensory substitution: Increasing resolution using a new Zooming-in approach. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2016; 34:97-105. [PMID: 26518671 PMCID: PMC4927841 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-150592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To visually perceive our surroundings we constantly move our eyes and focus on particular details, and then integrate them into a combined whole. Current visual rehabilitation methods, both invasive, like bionic-eyes and non-invasive, like Sensory Substitution Devices (SSDs), down-sample visual stimuli into low-resolution images. Zooming-in to sub-parts of the scene could potentially improve detail perception. Can congenitally blind individuals integrate a 'visual' scene when offered this information via different sensory modalities, such as audition? Can they integrate visual information -perceived in parts - into larger percepts despite never having had any visual experience? METHODS We explored these questions using a zooming-in functionality embedded in the EyeMusic visual-to-auditory SSD. Eight blind participants were tasked with identifying cartoon faces by integrating their individual components recognized via the EyeMusic's zooming mechanism. RESULTS After specialized training of just 6-10 hours, blind participants successfully and actively integrated facial features into cartooned identities in 79±18% of the trials in a highly significant manner, (chance level 10% ; rank-sum P < 1.55E-04). CONCLUSIONS These findings show that even users who lacked any previous visual experience whatsoever can indeed integrate this visual information with increased resolution. This potentially has important practical visual rehabilitation implications for both invasive and non-invasive methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galit Buchs
- Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shachar Maidenbaum
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shelly Levy-Tzedek
- Recanati School for Community Health Professions, Department of Physical Therapy, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, Institut de la Vision Paris, France
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Tal Z, Geva R, Amedi A. The origins of metamodality in visual object area LO: Bodily topographical biases and increased functional connectivity to S1. Neuroimage 2015; 127:363-375. [PMID: 26673114 PMCID: PMC4758827 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.11.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Revised: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence from blind participants suggests that visual areas are task-oriented and sensory modality input independent rather than sensory-specific to vision. Specifically, visual areas are thought to retain their functional selectivity when using non-visual inputs (touch or sound) even without having any visual experience. However, this theory is still controversial since it is not clear whether this also characterizes the sighted brain, and whether the reported results in the sighted reflect basic fundamental a-modal processes or are an epiphenomenon to a large extent. In the current study, we addressed these questions using a series of fMRI experiments aimed to explore visual cortex responses to passive touch on various body parts and the coupling between the parietal and visual cortices as manifested by functional connectivity. We show that passive touch robustly activated the object selective parts of the lateral–occipital (LO) cortex while deactivating almost all other occipital–retinotopic-areas. Furthermore, passive touch responses in the visual cortex were specific to hand and upper trunk stimulations. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis suggests that LO is functionally connected to the hand area in the primary somatosensory homunculus (S1), during hand and shoulder stimulations but not to any of the other body parts. We suggest that LO is a fundamental hub that serves as a node between visual-object selective areas and S1 hand representation, probably due to the critical evolutionary role of touch in object recognition and manipulation. These results might also point to a more general principle suggesting that recruitment or deactivation of the visual cortex by other sensory input depends on the ecological relevance of the information conveyed by this input to the task/computations carried out by each area or network. This is likely to rely on the unique and differential pattern of connectivity for each visual area with the rest of the brain. We studied cross-modal effects of passive somatosensory inputs on the visual cortex. Passive touch on the body evoked massive deactivation in the visual cortex. Passive hand stimulation evoked unique activation in visual object area LO. This area was also uniquely connected to the hand area in Penfield's homunculus — S1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zohar Tal
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research Israel - Canada (IMRIC), Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel.
| | - Ran Geva
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research Israel - Canada (IMRIC), Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research Israel - Canada (IMRIC), Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel; The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Science (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel; Program of Cognitive Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel
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Heimler B, Striem-Amit E, Amedi A. Origins of task-specific sensory-independent organization in the visual and auditory brain: neuroscience evidence, open questions and clinical implications. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2015; 35:169-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2015.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2015] [Revised: 09/01/2015] [Accepted: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Reich L, Amedi A. 'Visual' parsing can be taught quickly without visual experience during critical periods. Sci Rep 2015; 5:15359. [PMID: 26482105 PMCID: PMC4611203 DOI: 10.1038/srep15359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cases of invasive sight-restoration in congenital blind adults demonstrated that acquiring visual abilities is extremely challenging, presumably because visual-experience during critical-periods is crucial for learning visual-unique concepts (e.g. size constancy). Visual rehabilitation can also be achieved using sensory-substitution-devices (SSDs) which convey visual information non-invasively through sounds. We tested whether one critical concept – visual parsing, which is highly-impaired in sight-restored patients – can be learned using SSD. To this end, congenitally blind adults participated in a unique, relatively short (~70 hours), SSD-‘vision’ training. Following this, participants successfully parsed 2D and 3D visual objects. Control individuals naïve to SSDs demonstrated that while some aspects of parsing with SSD are intuitive, the blind’s success could not be attributed to auditory processing alone. Furthermore, we had a unique opportunity to compare the SSD-users’ abilities to those reported for sight-restored patients who performed similar tasks visually, and who had months of eyesight. Intriguingly, the SSD-users outperformed the patients on most criteria tested. These suggest that with adequate training and technologies, key high-order visual features can be quickly acquired in adulthood, and lack of visual-experience during critical-periods can be somewhat compensated for. Practically, these highlight the potential of SSDs as standalone-aids or combined with invasive restoration approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lior Reich
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel.,The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel
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Vetter P, Reich L, Amedi A. Spatiotopic maps in calcarine sulcus of the congenitally blind. J Vis 2015. [DOI: 10.1167/15.12.125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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Maidenbaum S, Hanassy S, Abboud S, Buchs G, Chebat DR, Levy-Tzedek S, Amedi A. The "EyeCane", a new electronic travel aid for the blind: Technology, behavior & swift learning. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2015; 32:813-24. [PMID: 25201814 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-130351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Independent mobility is one of the most pressing problems facing people who are blind. We present the EyeCane, a new mobility aid aimed at increasing perception of environment beyond what is provided by the traditional White Cane for tasks such as distance estimation, navigation and obstacle detection. METHODS The "EyeCane" enhances the traditional White Cane by using tactile and auditory output to increase detectable distance and angles. It circumvents the technical pitfalls of other devices, such as weight, short battery life, complex interface schemes, and slow learning curve. It implements multiple beams to enables detection of obstacles at different heights, and narrow beams to provide active sensing that can potentially increase the user's spatial perception of the environment. Participants were tasked with using the EyeCane for several basic tasks with minimal training. RESULTS Blind and blindfolded-sighted participants were able to use the EyeCane successfully for distance estimation, simple navigation and simple obstacle detection after only several minutes of training. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate the EyeCane's potential for mobility rehabilitation. The short training time is especially important since available mobility training resources are limited, not always available, and can be quite expensive and/or entail long waiting periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shachar Maidenbaum
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shlomi Hanassy
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Sami Abboud
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Galit Buchs
- Department of Cognitive Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Daniel-Robert Chebat
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shelly Levy-Tzedek
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Department of Cognitive Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Hannagan T, Amedi A, Cohen L, Dehaene-Lambertz G, Dehaene S. Origins of the specialization for letters and numbers in ventral occipitotemporal cortex. Trends Cogn Sci 2015; 19:374-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2015] [Revised: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Abstract
Under certain specific conditions people who are blind have a perception of space that is equivalent to that of sighted individuals. However, in most cases their spatial perception is impaired. Is this simply due to their current lack of access to visual information or does the lack of visual information throughout development prevent the proper integration of the neural systems underlying spatial cognition? Sensory Substitution devices (SSDs) can transfer visual information via other senses and provide a unique tool to examine this question. We hypothesize that the use of our SSD (The EyeCane: a device that translates distance information into sounds and vibrations) can enable blind people to attain a similar performance level as the sighted in a spatial navigation task. We gave fifty-six participants training with the EyeCane. They navigated in real life-size mazes using the EyeCane SSD and in virtual renditions of the same mazes using a virtual-EyeCane. The participants were divided into four groups according to visual experience: congenitally blind, low vision & late blind, blindfolded sighted and sighted visual controls. We found that with the EyeCane participants made fewer errors in the maze, had fewer collisions, and completed the maze in less time on the last session compared to the first. By the third session, participants improved to the point where individual trials were no longer significantly different from the initial performance of the sighted visual group in terms of errors, time and collision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel-Robert Chebat
- The Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel; The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel; Department of Behavioral Sciences, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Shachar Maidenbaum
- The Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel; The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- The Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel; The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Striem-Amit E, Ovadia-Caro S, Caramazza A, Margulies DS, Villringer A, Amedi A. Functional connectivity of visual cortex in the blind follows retinotopic organization principles. Brain 2015; 138:1679-95. [PMID: 25869851 PMCID: PMC4614142 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awv083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2014] [Accepted: 02/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although early visual experience is essential for the proper development of visual cortex, Striem-Amit et al. show that the underlying connectivity structure of retinotopic mapping is retained even in congenitally blind individuals. This basic organisational principle emerges independently of visual input and persists despite lifelong experience-dependent plasticity. Is visual input during critical periods of development crucial for the emergence of the fundamental topographical mapping of the visual cortex? And would this structure be retained throughout life-long blindness or would it fade as a result of plastic, use-based reorganization? We used functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging based on intrinsic blood oxygen level-dependent fluctuations to investigate whether significant traces of topographical mapping of the visual scene in the form of retinotopic organization, could be found in congenitally blind adults. A group of 11 fully and congenitally blind subjects and 18 sighted controls were studied. The blind demonstrated an intact functional connectivity network structural organization of the three main retinotopic mapping axes: eccentricity (centre-periphery), laterality (left-right), and elevation (upper-lower) throughout the retinotopic cortex extending to high-level ventral and dorsal streams, including characteristic eccentricity biases in face- and house-selective areas. Functional connectivity-based topographic organization in the visual cortex was indistinguishable from the normally sighted retinotopic functional connectivity structure as indicated by clustering analysis, and was found even in participants who did not have a typical retinal development in utero (microphthalmics). While the internal structural organization of the visual cortex was strikingly similar, the blind exhibited profound differences in functional connectivity to other (non-visual) brain regions as compared to the sighted, which were specific to portions of V1. Central V1 was more connected to language areas but peripheral V1 to spatial attention and control networks. These findings suggest that current accounts of critical periods and experience-dependent development should be revisited even for primary sensory areas, in that the connectivity basis for visual cortex large-scale topographical organization can develop without any visual experience and be retained through life-long experience-dependent plasticity. Furthermore, retinotopic divisions of labour, such as that between the visual cortex regions normally representing the fovea and periphery, also form the basis for topographically-unique plastic changes in the blind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ella Striem-Amit
- 1 Department of Medical Neurobiology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel 2 Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
| | - Smadar Ovadia-Caro
- 3 Mind and Brain Institute, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany 4 Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alfonso Caramazza
- 2 Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA 5 Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, Università degli Studi di Trento, Polo di Rovereto, Italy
| | - Daniel S Margulies
- 3 Mind and Brain Institute, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany 4 Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Arno Villringer
- 3 Mind and Brain Institute, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany 4 Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Amir Amedi
- 1 Department of Medical Neurobiology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel 6 The Edmond and Lily Safra Centre for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel 7 Cognitive Sciences Program, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91220, Israel 8 Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Institut de la Vision, UMR_S 968, Paris, F-75012, France
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Maidenbaum S, Levy-Tzedek S, Chebat DR, Namer-Furstenberg R, Amedi A. The effect of extended sensory range via the EyeCane sensory substitution device on the characteristics of visionless virtual navigation. Multisens Res 2015; 27:379-97. [PMID: 25693302 DOI: 10.1163/22134808-00002463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Mobility training programs for helping the blind navigate through unknown places with a White-Cane significantly improve their mobility. However, what is the effect of new assistive technologies, offering more information to the blind user, on the underlying premises of these programs such as navigation patterns? We developed the virtual-EyeCane, a minimalistic sensory substitution device translating single-point-distance into auditory cues identical to the EyeCane's in the real world. We compared performance in virtual environments when using the virtual-EyeCane, a virtual-White-Cane, no device and visual navigation. We show that the characteristics of virtual-EyeCane navigation differ from navigation with a virtual-White-Cane or no device, and that virtual-EyeCane users complete more levels successfully, taking shorter paths and with less collisions than these groups, and we demonstrate the relative similarity of virtual-EyeCane and visual navigation patterns. This suggests that additional distance information indeed changes navigation patterns from virtual-White-Cane use, and brings them closer to visual navigation.
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