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Short-term monocular deprivation reduces inter-ocular suppression of the deprived eye

Wang, Mengxin; McGraw, Paul; Ledgeway, Timothy

Short-term monocular deprivation reduces inter-ocular suppression of the deprived eye Thumbnail


Authors

Mengxin Wang

PAUL MCGRAW paul.mcgraw@nottingham.ac.uk
Professor of Visual Neuroscience



Abstract

The adult visual system was traditionally thought to be relatively hard-wired, but recent studies have challenged this view by demonstrating plasticity following brief periods of monocular deprivation (Lunghi, Burr, & Morrone, 2011; Lunghi, Burr, & Morrone, 2013). When one eye was deprived of spatial information for 2-3 hours, sensory dominance was shifted in favour of the previously deprived eye. However, the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is unclear. The present study sought to address this issue and determine the consequences of short-term monocular deprivation on inter-ocular suppression of each eye. Sensory eye dominance was examined before and after depriving an eye of all visual input using a light-tight opaque patch for 2.5 hours, in a group of adult participants with normal binocular vision (N=6). We used a percept tracking task during experience of binocular rivalry (BR) to assess the relative dominance of the two eyes, and an objective probe detection task under continuous flash suppression (CFS) to quantify each eye’s susceptibility to inter-ocular suppression. In addition, the monocular contrast increment threshold of each eye was also measured using the probe detection task to ascertain if the altered eye dominance is accompanied by changes in monocular perception. Our BR results replicated Lunghi and colleagues’ findings of a shift of relative dominance towards the eye that has been deprived of form information with translucent patching. More crucially, using CFS we demonstrated reduced inter ocular suppression of the deprived eye with no complementary changes in the other eye, and no monocular changes in increment threshold. These findings imply that short-term monocular deprivation alters binocular interactions. The differential effect on inter-ocular suppression between eyes may have important implications for the use of patching as a therapy to recover visual function in amblyopia.

Citation

Wang, M., McGraw, P., & Ledgeway, T. (2020). Short-term monocular deprivation reduces inter-ocular suppression of the deprived eye. Vision Research, 173, 29-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2020.05.001

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date May 10, 2020
Online Publication Date May 24, 2020
Publication Date 2020-08
Deposit Date May 13, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Vision Research
Print ISSN 0042-6989
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 173
Pages 29-40
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2020.05.001
Keywords Ophthalmology; Sensory Systems
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4428914
Publisher URL https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0042698920300778

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