Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, 60322 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
Cereb Cortex. 2021 Mar 31;31(5):2505-2522. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa370.
Congenital blindness has been shown to result in behavioral adaptation and neuronal reorganization, but the underlying neuronal mechanisms are largely unknown. Brain rhythms are characteristic for anatomically defined brain regions and provide a putative mechanistic link to cognitive processes. In a novel approach, using magnetoencephalography resting state data of congenitally blind and sighted humans, deprivation-related changes in spectral profiles were mapped to the cortex using clustering and classification procedures. Altered spectral profiles in visual areas suggest changes in visual alpha-gamma band inhibitory-excitatory circuits. Remarkably, spectral profiles were also altered in auditory and right frontal areas showing increased power in theta-to-beta frequency bands in blind compared with sighted individuals, possibly related to adaptive auditory and higher cognitive processing. Moreover, occipital alpha correlated with microstructural white matter properties extending bilaterally across posterior parts of the brain. We provide evidence that visual deprivation selectively modulates spectral profiles, possibly reflecting structural and functional adaptation.
先天性失明已被证明会导致行为适应和神经元重组，但其中的神经机制在很大程度上仍是未知的。脑节律是解剖定义的脑区的特征，并为认知过程提供了潜在的机械联系。在一种新颖的方法中，使用先天性失明和视力正常的人类的静息态磁共振脑磁图数据，使用聚类和分类程序将与剥夺相关的频谱分布变化映射到大脑皮层上。在视觉区域中改变的频谱分布表明视觉α-γ带抑制-兴奋回路发生了变化。值得注意的是，在听觉和右侧额叶区域也改变了频谱分布，与视力正常的个体相比，盲人的θ到β频带的功率增加，这可能与适应性听觉和更高的认知处理有关。此外，枕部α与延伸到大脑后部的双侧白质微观结构特性相关。我们提供的证据表明，视觉剥夺选择性地调节频谱分布，这可能反映了结构和功能的适应性。
