Residual function, spontaneous reorganisation and treatment plasticity in homonymous visual field defects

Dundon, Neil Michael (2015) Residual function, spontaneous reorganisation and treatment plasticity in homonymous visual field defects, [Dissertation thesis], Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna. Dottorato di ricerca in International phd program in cognitive neuroscience, 27 Ciclo. DOI 10.6092/unibo/amsdottorato/6872.
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Abstract

This thesis will focus on the residual function and visual and attentional deficits in human patients, which accompany damage to the visual cortex or its thalamic afferents, and plastic changes, which follow it. In particular, I will focus on homonymous visual field defects, which comprise a broad set of central disorders of vision. I will present experimental evidence that when the primary visual pathway is completely damaged, the only signal that can be implicitly processed via subcortical visual networks is fear. I will also present data showing that in a patient with relative deafferentation of visual cortex, changes in the spatial tuning and response gain of the contralesional and ipsilesional cortex are observed, which are accompanied by changes in functional connectivity with regions belonging to the dorsal attentional network and the default mode network. I will also discuss how cortical plasticity might be harnessed to improve recovery through novel treatments. Moreover, I will show how treatment interventions aimed at recruiting spared subcortical pathway supporting multisensory orienting can drive network level change.

Abstract
Tipologia del documento
Tesi di dottorato
Autore
Dundon, Neil Michael
Supervisore
Co-supervisore
Dottorato di ricerca
Scuola di dottorato
Scienze umanistiche
Ciclo
27
Coordinatore
Settore disciplinare
Settore concorsuale
Parole chiave
homonymous visual field defects; fMRI; EEG; plasticity; neurorehabilitation; MRS; visual disorders; acquired brain injury;
URN:NBN
DOI
10.6092/unibo/amsdottorato/6872
Data di discussione
12 Giugno 2015
URI

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