Danka Mohammed Chand Parvez, Khalil Reem
Biosciences and Bioengineering Research Institute (BBRI), American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Front Syst Neurosci. 2020 Jun 9;14:29. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.00029. eCollection 2020.
This review aims to discuss (1) the refinement of mammalian visual cortical circuits and the maturation of visual functions they subserve in primary visual cortex (V1) and other visual cortical areas, and (2) existing evidence supporting the notion of differential rates of maturation of visual functions in different species. It is well known that different visual functions and their underlying circuitry mature and attain adultlike characteristics at different stages in postnatal development with varying growth rates. The developmental timecourse and duration of refinement varies significantly both in V1 of various species and among different visual cortical areas; while basic visual functions like spatial acuity mature earlier requiring less time, higher form perception such as contour integration is more complex and requires longer postnatal time to refine. This review will highlight the importance of systematic comparative analysis of the differential rates of refinement of visual circuitry and function as that may help reveal underlying key mechanisms necessary for healthy visual development during infancy and adulthood. This type of approach will help future studies to establish direct links between various developmental aspects of different visual cortical areas in both human and animal models; thus enhancing our understanding of vision related neurological disorders and their potential therapeutic remedies.
（1）哺乳动物视觉皮层回路的精细化以及它们在初级视觉皮层（V1）和其他视觉皮层区域所支持的视觉功能的成熟；（2）支持不同物种视觉功能成熟速率存在差异这一观点的现有证据。众所周知，不同的视觉功能及其潜在的神经回路在出生后的发育过程中，会在不同阶段以不同的生长速率成熟并具备类似成年期的特征。在不同物种的V1以及不同的视觉皮层区域中，精细化的发育时间进程和持续时间差异显著；像空间敏锐度这样的基本视觉功能成熟较早，所需时间较短，而像轮廓整合这样更高层次的形态感知则更为复杂，需要更长的出生后时间来完善。本综述将强调对视觉回路和功能精细化差异速率进行系统比较分析的重要性，因为这可能有助于揭示婴儿期和成年期健康视觉发育所需的潜在关键机制。这种方法将有助于未来的研究在人类和动物模型中建立不同视觉皮层区域各个发育方面之间的直接联系；从而增进我们对与视觉相关的神经疾病及其潜在治疗方法的理解。
