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Cortical correlates of amblyopia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2018

LYNNE KIORPES  and
NIGEL DAW
LYNNE KIORPES*
Affiliation:
Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York
NIGEL DAW
Affiliation:
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
*
*Address correspondence to: Lynne Kiorpes. E-mail: lk6@nyu.edu
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Abstract

There are many levels of disorder in amblyopic vision, from basic acuity and contrast sensitivity loss to abnormal binocular vision and global perception of motion and form. Amblyopia treatment via patching to restore acuity often leaves other aspects of vision deficient. The source for these additional deficits is unclear. Neural correlates of poor binocular function and acuity loss are found in V1 and V2. However, they are generally not sufficient to account for behaviorally measured vision loss. This review summarizes the known cortical correlates of visual deficits found in association with amblyopia, particularly those relevant to binocular vision and higher-order visual processing, in striate and extrastriate cortex. Recommendations for future research address open questions on the role of suppression and oculomotor abnormalities in amblyopic vision, and underexplored mechanisms such as top-down influences on information transmission in the amblyopic brain.

Keywords

Striate cortexExtrastriate cortexInterocular suppressionSensitive periodsVisual-motor integration
Type
Perspective
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 35 , 2018 , E016
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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