Perceptual learning in patients with central scotomata due to hereditary and age-related macular dystrophy K Rosengarth1, C Schmalhofer1, M Goldhacker1, T Plank1, S Brandl-Rühle2, M W Greenlee1 |
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1Institute for Experimental Psychology, Universität Regensburg, Germany |
| Hereditary and age-related forms of macular dystrophy (MD) lead to loss of cone function in the fovea, leading to eccentric fixation at the co-called preferred retinal locus (PRL). We investigated whether perceptual learning enhances visual abilities at the PRL. We also determined the neural correlates (3-Tesla fMRI) of learning success. Eight MD patients (five with age-related macular dystrophy, three with hereditary macular dystrophies) were trained on a texture discrimination task (TDT) over six days. Patients underwent three fMRI sessions (before, during and after training) while performing the TDT task (target at PRL or opposite PRL). Reading speed was also assessed before and after training. All patients showed improved performance (i.e. significant change in stimulus onset asynchronies, hit rates and reaction times) and increased reading speed after perceptual learning. We found an increase in BOLD response in the projections zone of the PRL in the primary visual cortex in six of eight patients after training. The change in fMRI signal correlated with the patients’ performance enhancements. The results suggest that perceptual learning is a useful measurement in interventions for MD patients. |
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