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Mena-Garcia L, Maldonado-Lopez MJ, Fernandez I, Coco-Martin MB, Finat-Saez J, Martinez-Jimenez JL, Pastor-Jimeno JC, Arenillas JF. Visual processing speed in hemianopia patients secondary to acquired brain injury: a new assessment methodology. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2020; 17:12. [PMID: 32005265 PMCID: PMC6995150 DOI: 10.1186/s12984-020-0650-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background There is a clinical need to identify diagnostic parameters that objectively quantify and monitor the effective visual ability of patients with homonymous visual field defects (HVFDs). Visual processing speed (VPS) is an objective measure of visual ability. It is the reaction time (RT) needed to correctly search and/or reach for a visual stimulus. VPS depends on six main brain processing systems: auditory-cognitive, attentional, working memory, visuocognitive, visuomotor, and executive. We designed a new assessment methodology capable of activating these six systems and measuring RTs to determine the VPS of patients with HVFDs. Methods New software was designed for assessing subject visual stimulus search and reach times (S-RT and R-RT respectively), measured in seconds. Thirty-two different everyday visual stimuli were divided in four complexity groups that were presented along 8 radial visual field positions at three different eccentricities (10o, 20o, and 30o). Thus, for each HVFD and control subject, 96 S- and R-RT measures related to VPS were registered. Three additional variables were measured to gather objective data on the validity of the test: eye-hand coordination mistakes (ehcM), eye-hand coordination accuracy (ehcA), and degrees of head movement (dHM, measured by a head-tracker system). HVFD patients and healthy controls (30 each) matched by age and gender were included. Each subject was assessed in a single visit. VPS measurements for HFVD patients and control subjects were compared for the complete test, for each stimulus complexity group, and for each eccentricity. Results VPS was significantly slower (p < 0.0001) in the HVFD group for the complete test, each stimulus complexity group, and each eccentricity. For the complete test, the VPS of the HVFD patients was 73.0% slower than controls. They also had 335.6% more ehcMs, 41.3% worse ehcA, and 189.0% more dHMs than the controls. Conclusions Measurement of VPS by this new assessment methodology could be an effective tool for objectively quantifying the visual ability of HVFD patients. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of this novel method for measuring the impact that any specific neurovisual rehabilitation program has for these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Mena-Garcia
- Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain. .,Instituto Universitario de Oftalmobiología Aplicada (IOBA), Eye Institute, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
| | - Miguel J Maldonado-Lopez
- Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.,Instituto Universitario de Oftalmobiología Aplicada (IOBA), Eye Institute, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Itziar Fernandez
- Instituto Universitario de Oftalmobiología Aplicada (IOBA), Eye Institute, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.,CIBER BBN, National Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria B Coco-Martin
- Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.,Department of Neurology, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Jaime Finat-Saez
- ASPAYM-Castilla y Leon Foundation, Research Centre for Physical Disabilities, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Jose L Martinez-Jimenez
- ASPAYM-Castilla y Leon Foundation, Research Centre for Physical Disabilities, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Jose C Pastor-Jimeno
- Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.,Instituto Universitario de Oftalmobiología Aplicada (IOBA), Eye Institute, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.,Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Juan F Arenillas
- Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.,Department of Neurology, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
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Gögler N, Willacker L, Funk J, Strube W, Langgartner S, Napiórkowski N, Hasan A, Finke K. Single-session transcranial direct current stimulation induces enduring enhancement of visual processing speed in patients with major depression. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2017; 267:671-86. [PMID: 28039551 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-016-0761-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Attentional deficits are considered key cognitive symptoms in major depressive disorder (MDD) arising from abnormal activation patterns within dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) alertness networks. Altering these activity patterns with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) might thus ameliorate alertness-dependent cognitive deficits in MDD patients. In a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled study, we investigated the effect of a single session of anodal tDCS (2 mA) applied to the left dlPFC on different parameters of visual attention based on Bundesen's theory of visual attention (Psychol Rev 97(4):523-547, 1990) in a group of 20 patients with MDD and a control group of 20 healthy participants. The parametric attention assessment took place before, immediately after and 24 h after tDCS intervention. It revealed a selective impairment in visual processing speed as a primary functional deficit in MDD at baseline assessment. Furthermore, a significant stimulation condition × time point interaction showed that verum tDCS over the left dlPFC resulted in a processing speed enhancement 24 h post-stimulation in MDD patients. In healthy control participants, we did not find similar tDCS-induced effects. Our results suggest that even a single session of tDCS over the dlPFC can induce enduring neurocognitive benefits that indicate an amelioration of cortical under-arousal in MDD patients in a time frame beyond that of immediate, excitability increases that are directly induced by the current.
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Abstract
Stimulus eccentricity affects visual processing in multiple ways. Performance on a visual task is often better when target stimuli are presented near or at the fovea compared to the retinal periphery. For instance, reaction times and error rates are often reported to increase with increasing eccentricity. Such findings have been interpreted as purely visual, reflecting neurophysiological differences in central and peripheral vision, as well as attentional, reflecting a central bias in the allocation of attentional resources. Other findings indicate that in some cases, information from the periphery is preferentially processed. Specifically, it has been suggested that visual processing speed increases with increasing stimulus eccentricity, and that this positive correlation is reduced, but not eliminated, when the amount of cortex activated by a stimulus is kept constant by magnifying peripheral stimuli (Carrasco et al., 2003). In this study, we investigated effects of eccentricity on visual attentional capacity with and without magnification, using computational modeling based on Bundesen's (1990) theory of visual attention. Our results suggest a general decrease in attentional capacity with increasing stimulus eccentricity, irrespective of magnification. We discuss these results in relation to the physiology of the visual system, the use of different paradigms for investigating visual perception across the visual field, and the use of different stimulus materials (e.g. Gabor patches vs. letters). Visual capacity for letter stimuli decreases toward the visual periphery. The decrease in visual capacity is irrespective of cortical magnification. Peripheral performance might depend on the specific stimuli and task demands.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anders Petersen
- Center for Visual Cognition, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Signe Vangkilde
- Center for Visual Cognition, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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Kraft A, Irlbacher K, Finke K, Kaufmann C, Kehrer S, Liebermann D, Bundesen C, Brandt SA. Dissociable spatial and non-spatial attentional deficits after circumscribed thalamic stroke. Cortex 2014; 64:327-42. [PMID: 25597524 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2014.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 03/27/2014] [Revised: 06/25/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Thalamic nuclei act as sensory, motor and cognitive relays between multiple subcortical areas and the cerebral cortex. They play a crucial role in cognitive functions such as executive functioning, memory and attention. In the acute period after thalamic stroke attentional deficits are common. The precise functional relevance of specific nuclei or vascular sub regions of the thalamus for attentional sub functions is still unclear. The theory of visual attention (TVA) allows the measurement of four independent attentional parameters (visual short term memory storage capacity (VSTM), visual perceptual processing speed, selective control and spatial weighting). We combined parameter-based assessment based on TVA with lesion symptom mapping in standard stereotactic space in sixteen patients (mean age 41.2 ± 11.0 SD, 6 females), with focal thalamic lesions in the medial (N = 9), lateral (N = 5), anterior (N = 1) or posterior (N = 1) vascular territories of the thalamus. Compared with an age-matched control group of 52 subjects (mean age 40.1 ± 6.4, 35 females), the patients with thalamic lesions were, on the group level, mildly impaired in visual processing speed and VSTM. Patients with lateral thalamic lesions showed a deficit in processing speed while all other TVA parameters were within the normal range. Medial thalamic lesions can be associated with a spatial bias and extinction of targets either in the ipsilesional or the contralesional field. A posterior case with a thalamic lesion of the pulvinar replicated a finding of Habekost and Rostrup (2006), demonstrating a spatial bias to the ipsilesional field, as suggested by the neural theory of visual attention (NTVA) (Bundesen, Habekost, & Kyllingsbæk, 2011). A case with an anterior-medial thalamic lesion showed reduced selective attentional control. We conclude that lesions in distinct vascular sub regions of the thalamus are associated with distinct attentional syndromes (medial = spatial bias, lateral = processing speed).
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Affiliation(s)
- Antje Kraft
- Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Kerstin Irlbacher
- Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kathrin Finke
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Kaufmann
- Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Kehrer
- Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniela Liebermann
- Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Claus Bundesen
- Center of Visual Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Stephan A Brandt
- Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Bovier ER, Hammond BR. A randomized placebo-controlled study on the effects of lutein and zeaxanthin on visual processing speed in young healthy subjects. Arch Biochem Biophys 2014; 572:54-57. [PMID: 25483230 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2014.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [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: 09/11/2014] [Revised: 11/14/2014] [Accepted: 11/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Speed of processing is a particularly important characteristic of the visual system. Often a behavioral reaction to a visual stimulus must be faster than the conscious perception of that stimulus, as is the case with many sports (e.g., baseball). Visual psychophysics provides a relatively simple and precise means of measuring visual processing speed called the temporal contrast sensitivity function (tCSF). Past study has shown that macular pigment (a collection of xanthophylls, lutein (L), meso-zeaxanthin (MZ) and zeaxanthin (Z), found in the retina) optical density (MPOD) is positively correlated with the tCSF. In this study, we found similar correlations when testing 102 young healthy subjects. As a follow-up, we randomized 69 subjects to receive a placebo (n=15) or one of two L and Z supplements (n=54). MPOD and tCSF were measured psychophysically at baseline and 4months. Neither MPOD nor tCSF changed for the placebo condition, but both improved significantly as a result of supplementation. These results show that an intervention with L and Z can increase processing speed even in young healthy subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Bovier
- Department of Psychology, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126, USA; Brain and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-3013, USA
| | - Billy R Hammond
- Brain and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-3013, USA.
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Kraft A, Dyrholm M, Kehrer S, Kaufmann C, Bruening J, Kathmann N, Bundesen C, Irlbacher K, Brandt SA. TMS over the right precuneus reduces the bilateral field advantage in visual short term memory capacity. Brain Stimul 2014; 8:216-23. [PMID: 25481073 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2014.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2014] [Revised: 10/21/2014] [Accepted: 11/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several studies have demonstrated a bilateral field advantage (BFA) in early visual attentional processing, that is, enhanced visual processing when stimuli are spread across both visual hemifields. The results are reminiscent of a hemispheric resource model of parallel visual attentional processing, suggesting more attentional resources on an early level of visual processing for bilateral displays [e.g. Sereno AB, Kosslyn SM. Discrimination within and between hemifields: a new constraint on theories of attention. Neuropsychologia 1991;29(7):659-75.]. Several studies have shown that the BFA extends beyond early stages of visual attentional processing, demonstrating that visual short term memory (VSTM) capacity is higher when stimuli are distributed bilaterally rather than unilaterally. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS Here we examine whether hemisphere-specific resources are also evident on later stages of visual attentional processing. METHODS Based on the Theory of Visual Attention (TVA) [Bundesen C. A theory of visual attention. Psychol Rev 1990;97(4):523-47.] we used a whole report paradigm that allows investigating visual attention capacity variability in unilateral and bilateral displays during navigated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the precuneus region. RESULTS A robust BFA in VSTM storage capacity was apparent after rTMS over the left precuneus and in the control condition without rTMS. In contrast, the BFA diminished with rTMS over the right precuneus. CONCLUSION This finding indicates that the right precuneus plays a causal role in VSTM capacity, particularly in bilateral visual displays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antje Kraft
- Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Mads Dyrholm
- Center of Visual Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Stefanie Kehrer
- Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Kaufmann
- Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jovita Bruening
- Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Norbert Kathmann
- Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Claus Bundesen
- Center of Visual Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kerstin Irlbacher
- Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan A Brandt
- Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Abstract
Older adults commonly report difficulties in visual tasks of everyday living that involve visual clutter, secondary task demands, and time sensitive responses. These difficulties often cannot be attributed to visual sensory impairment. Techniques for measuring visual processing speed under divided attention conditions and among visual distractors have been developed and have established construct validity in that those older adults performing poorly in these tests are more likely to exhibit daily visual task performance problems. Research suggests that computer-based training exercises can increase visual processing speed in older adults and that these gains transfer to enhancement of health and functioning and a slowing in functional and health decline as people grow older.
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