Brain structure changes visualized in early- and late-onset blind subjects

We examined 3D patterns of volume differences in the brain associated with blindness, in subjects grouped according to early and late onset. Using tensor-based morphometry, we mapped volume reductions and gains in 16 early-onset (EB) and 16 late-onset (LB) blind adults (onset <5 and >14 years...

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Published inNeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Vol. 49; no. 1; pp. 134 - 140
Main Authors Leporé, Natasha, Voss, Patrice, Lepore, Franco, Chou, Yi-Yu, Fortin, Madeleine, Gougoux, Frédéric, Lee, Agatha D., Brun, Caroline, Lassonde, Maryse, Madsen, Sarah K., Toga, Arthur W., Thompson, Paul M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 01.01.2010
Elsevier Limited
Subjects
Adult
Age
Age of Onset
Algorithms
Blindness
Blindness - pathology
Brain
Brain - pathology
Brain imaging
Brain Mapping
Corpus callosum
Corpus Callosum - pathology
Data Interpretation, Statistical
Female
Humans
Imaging, Three-Dimensional
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medical imaging
Medical research
Memory
Mens health
Methods
Middle Aged
MRI
Occipital Lobe - pathology
Plasticity
Software
Studies
Tensor-based morphometry
Young Adult
Brain imaging
Tensor-based morphometry
MRI
Corpus callosum
Blindness
Plasticity
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Summary:We examined 3D patterns of volume differences in the brain associated with blindness, in subjects grouped according to early and late onset. Using tensor-based morphometry, we mapped volume reductions and gains in 16 early-onset (EB) and 16 late-onset (LB) blind adults (onset <5 and >14 years old, respectively) relative to 16 matched sighted controls. Each subject's structural MRI was fluidly registered to a common template. Anatomical differences between groups were mapped based on statistical analysis of the resulting deformation fields revealing profound deficits in primary and secondary visual cortices for both blind groups. Regions outside the occipital lobe showed significant hypertrophy, suggesting widespread compensatory adaptations. EBs but not LBs showed deficits in the splenium and the isthmus. Gains in the non-occipital white matter were more widespread in the EBs. These differences may reflect regional alterations in late neurodevelopmental processes, such as myelination, that continue into adulthood.
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ISSN:1053-8119
1095-9572
1095-9572
DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.07.048