Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
Biological Psychology, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany.
Cereb Cortex. 2023 Feb 20;33(5):2152-2161. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhac197.
It is unknown whether impaired brain structure after congenital blindness is reversible if sight is restored later in life. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging, visual cortical surface area and cortical thickness were assessed in a large group of 21 sight-recovery individuals who had been born blind and who months or years later gained sight through cataract removal surgery. As control groups, we included 27 normally sighted individuals, 10 individuals with permanent congenital blindness, and 11 sight-recovery individuals with a late onset of cataracts. Congenital cataract-reversal individuals had a lower visual cortical surface area and a higher visual cortical thickness than normally sighted controls. These results corresponded to those of congenitally permanently blind individuals suggesting that impaired brain structure did not recover. Crucially, structural brain alterations in congenital-cataract reversal individuals were associated with a lower post-surgery visual acuity. No significant changes in visual cortex structure were observed in sight-recovery individuals with late onset cataracts. The results demonstrate that impaired structural brain development due to visual deprivation from birth is not fully reversible and limits functional recovery. Additionally, they highlight the crucial importance of prevention measures in the context of other types of aberrant childhood environments including low socioeconomic status and adversity.
目前尚不清楚，如果一个人在生命后期恢复视力，先天失明后大脑结构受损是否可以逆转。我们使用结构磁共振成像，对 21 名失明后通过白内障摘除手术恢复视力的个体进行了评估，这些个体在出生时就失明了，且在几个月或几年后恢复了视力。作为对照组，我们纳入了 27 名视力正常的个体、10 名先天性失明的个体和 11 名白内障发病较晚的视力恢复个体。先天性白内障逆转个体的视觉皮层表面积低于视力正常的对照组，皮质厚度高于对照组。这些结果与先天性永久性失明个体的结果一致，表明大脑结构受损没有恢复。重要的是，先天性白内障逆转个体的结构脑改变与术后较低的视力相关。在白内障发病较晚的视力恢复个体中，未观察到视觉皮层结构的显著变化。这些结果表明，由于出生时视觉剥夺导致的结构性大脑发育受损不能完全逆转，并限制了功能恢复。此外，它们强调了在包括低社会经济地位和逆境等其他类型异常儿童环境的背景下采取预防措施的重要性。
