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From motor cortex to visual cortex: The application of noninvasive brain stimulation to amblyopia
Author(s) -
Thompson Benjamin,
Mansouri Behzad,
Koski Lisa,
Hess Robert F.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.20509
Subject(s) - neuroscience , psychology , motor cortex , stimulation , brain stimulation , visual cortex , stroke (engine) , cortex (anatomy) , physical medicine and rehabilitation , medicine , mechanical engineering , engineering
Abstract Noninvasive brain stimulation is a technique for inducing changes in the excitability of discrete neural populations in the human brain. A current model of the underlying pathological processes contributing to the loss of motor function after stroke has motivated a number of research groups to investigate the potential therapeutic application of brain stimulation to stroke rehabilitation. The loss of motor function is modeled as resulting from a combination of reduced excitability in the lesioned motor cortex and an increased inhibitory drive from the nonlesioned hemisphere over the lesioned hemisphere. This combination of impaired neural function and pathological suppression resonates with current views on the cause of the visual impairment in amblyopia. Here, we discuss how the rationale for using noninvasive brain stimulation in stroke rehabilitation can be applied to amblyopia, review a proof‐of‐principle study demonstrating that brain stimulation can temporarily improve amblyopic eye function, and propose future research avenues. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 54:263‐273, 2012.