Training-related neural plasticity of basic visual functions in the mature human brain

• Applicant: Julia Föcker, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
• Term: from 2010 to 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 191165201

The proposed project will investigate the capacity of the adult human brain to recover fundamental visual functions even after the end of presumed critical periods. Amblyopic patients with a dysfunctional eye since birth or early childhood will be investigated. Previous studies in amblyopic individuals have shown deficits in visual abilities such as contrast sensitivity, acuity and visual attention. As action video game training enhances different aspects of vision in normally sighted and amblyopic individuals, we will use action video games as a training tool. Based on this training, we will analyze how attentional brain networks are recruited as recovery from amblyopia proceeds. The proposed experiments take advantage of a collaborative study between two laboratories on the use of action games to rehabilitate amblyopia. Three experiments will be conducted using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in order to analyze attentional brain networks in expert action-gamers, non-gamers and amblyopic individuals. Key objectives are to reveal how high level attentional networks which are believed to modulate activity in earlier visual brain areas change as recovery from amblyopia proceeds. Therefore, a crossmodal (audio/visual) cuing paradigm will be developed allowing us to disentangle cue versus target visibility when studying attentional networks driven by the amblyopic eye. The project will advance our understanding of adult plasticity and will be relevant as additional visual training device for amblyopic patients.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Switzerland, USA
• Host: Professorin Dr. Daphne Bavelier