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Effect of low-concentration CO2 on stereoacuity and energy expenditure.

BACKGROUND: Low-concentration CO2 commonly exists in our living environment in such locations as airplanes and cars. Its effect on visual performance and energy metabolism (through O2 uptake) has not been well studied, although several studies have shown that high-level CO2 (6-10%) significantly impaired visual performance. HYPOTHESIS: We felt that breathing CO2 might also interfere with the energy expenditure pathway, partly due to the reduced O2 fraction. Thus, we studied the effect of low-concentration CO2 (2.5%) on human visual stereoacuity and energy expenditure. METHODS: Computer-controlled Random Dot Stereograms and psychometric function were used for stereoacuity tests. A whole-room indirect calorimeter allowed for the accurate measurement of energy expenditure, and also served as a good testing environment. RESULTS: Of 10 subjects tested, 8 had a slight increase in resting energy expenditure after exposure to 2.5% CO2. The increase ranged from 0.4-6.1% (p = 0.087, paired t-test). In stereoacuity tests, the psychometric function curves of all three subjects tested shifted to the right when breathing 2.5% CO2 and returned to baseline 2 h after breathing fresh air. Stereoacuity value, which is the reciprocal of stereoscopic threshold, was significantly lower (p < 0.01, 2-tailed z score test) after CO2 exposure for all subjects tested. CONCLUSION: We conclude that CO2 levels as low as 2.5% can cause temporary reduction in human stereoacuity, and also cause a persistent but small increase in energy expenditure.

Adult↗

Investigations on subjective and objective cyclorotatory changes after inferior oblique muscle recession.

PURPOSE: To determine subjective and objective cyclorotatory changes after surgery for oblique muscle disorders and to analyze the mechanisms of the well-known, long-term, postoperative, subjective cyclotorsional changes. METHODS: Twenty-six patients underwent unilateral inferior oblique muscle recession for strabismus sursoadductorius (inferior oblique overfunction). Subjective and objective cyclodeviation were examined before surgery with and without diagnostic occlusion, as well as 1 day, 3 days, and 4 months after surgery. Subjective cyclodeviation was assessed by Harms' tangent scale. Objective cycloposition was measured by means of fundus cyclometry, a novel method using an infrared scanning laser ophthalmoscope. RESULTS: Diagnostic occlusion did not lead to significant changes in either objective or subjective cyclodeviation. Preoperative objective excycloposition was nearly equally distributed between affected eyes and fellow eyes. Early surgically induced incyclorotatory effects were more pronounced objectively than subjectively. On long-term follow-up, a reduction in the incyclorotatory effect was found to be smaller subjectively than objectively. A significant difference between subjective and objective cycloposition was seen early after surgery, and a significant difference between subjective and objective cyclorotatory change was found immediately after surgery and on long-term follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term regression of the incyclorotatory effect after inferior oblique muscle recession was confirmed objectively and subjectively and can be explained as a cessation of preoperatively required binocular compensatory innervation. The authors conclude that the difference between objective and subjective regression is caused by sensory cyclofusion.

Adolescent↗

The effect on fixation disparity and associated heterophoria of reading at an abnormally close distance.

It is well established that prism stress on binocular vision produces fixation disparity. It is therefore suggested that fixation disparity is a sign of stress on binocular vision. The authors have previously looked at the stress caused by reading in reduced levels of illumination, and found that the average fixation disparity and associated heterophoria become more exophoric. In this paper the effect on fixation disparity and associated heterophoria of reading at an abnormally close distance is reported. It was found that in 50 young adults fixation disparity and associated heterophoria increased to a greater degree of exo-disparity. An analysis of the visual symptoms indicated that there was also an increase in the visual discomfort and other symptoms.

Adult↗

Effects of superior colliculus inhibition on three-dimensional visual motion processing in the lateral suprasylvian visual area of the cat.

PURPOSE: To determine whether visual inputs from the tectothalamocortical pathway influence three-dimensional motion processing within the lateral suprasylvian (LS) area of the cat. METHODS: Tungsten microelectrodes were used for recording visual-evoked potentials (VEPs) from the LS area of 4 cats. Random dot stereograms were used as visual stimuli. Three-dimensional, motion-triggered VEPs were recorded from the LS area. Each motion sequence consisted of an abrupt onset of motion disparity with a 2 degrees amplitude followed by an abrupt offset and a stationary phase of 900 ms. The velocity of the motion disparity was varied in eight steps from 10 degrees to 400 degrees per second. The onset of motion disparity was used as the trigger for recording the VEPs. Single or multiple injections (two to three) of muscimol were made mainly into the rostral superior colliculus (SC). The amplitudes of the VEPs before and after the muscimol injection were compared. RESULTS: A large negative wave ( N1) with an implicit time of 92.7 +/- 13.5 ms (mean +/- SD, n = 98) was recorded consistently. The amplitude of N1 was significantly larger on stereovision of motion disparity than on either binocular vision of two-dimensional lateral motion or monocular vision, indicating that N1 contains neurons sensitive to motion disparity. The amplitude of N1 was not altered by muscimol injection into the SC at velocities < or =50 degrees/s. On the other hand, the amplitude of N1 was reduced to 66-71% of that observed before muscimol injection at velocities > or =75 degrees/s. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the LS area processes three-dimensional motion inputs via two parallel pathways, the geniculostriate pathway and the tectothalamocortical pathway, at velocities of motion disparity > or =75 degrees/s, while the three-dimensional motion inputs project to the LS area only via the geniculostriate pathway at velocities of motion disparity < or = 50 degrees/s.

Animals↗

Probing the human stereoscopic system with reverse correlation.

Our two eyes obtain slightly different views of the world. The resulting differences in the two retinal images, called binocular disparities, provide us with a stereoscopic sense of depth. The primary visual cortex (V1) contains neurons that are selective for the disparity of individual elements in an image, but this information must be further analysed to complete the stereoscopic process. Here we apply the psychophysical technique of reverse correlation to investigate disparity processing in human vision. Observers viewed binocular random-dot patterns, with 'signal' dots in a specific depth plane plus 'noise' dots with randomly assigned disparities. By examining the correlation between the observers' ability to detect the plane and the particular sample of 'noise' disparities presented on each trial, we revealed detection 'filters', whose disparity selectivity was remarkably similar to that of individual neurons in monkey V1. Moreover, if the noise dots were of opposite contrast in the two eyes, the tuning inverted, just like the response patterns of V1 neurons. Reverse correlation appears to probe disparity processing at the earliest stages of binocular combination, prior to the generation of a full stereoscopic depth percept.

Depth Perception↗

Binocular vision, age and symptoms.

Changes with age in heterophoria, associated heterophoria, fixation disparity and stereopsis for near vision were investigated in a sample of 187 subjects (age range from 10 to 65 years) divided into six age groups. With increasing age, heterophoria, associated heterophoria and fixation disparity increased in the exo-direction. No change in stereopsis was found. A comparison with visual symptoms for near vision indicated a relationship between symptoms and the magnitude of fixation disparity and associated heterophoria for all age groups, but no relationship was found between the presence of symptoms and heterophoria measurement. No relationship between the presence of symptoms and the central slope of the forced vergence fixation disparity curve was found. These findings suggested that neither the measurement of heterophoria nor the forced vergence disparity curve are appropriate tests in the assessment of binocular vision anomalies. However, fixation disparity and associated heterophoria are related to binocular problems for near vision in all age groups.

Adolescent↗

Modelling space perception in human early vision: a computational approach.

A computational approach in studying vision is important for understanding the biological mechanisms, as well as for integrating the known cortical architecture of primary visual area (V1) and the physiological functions (some of them experimentally proved, some only presumed). We present, in parallel, two models for early vision mechanisms: one for obtaining the disparity map in stereo vision, and the other for edges enhancement in contour integration, both of them seen from such a computational perspective. We implemented the two models and the results of the simulation were consistent with the biological data. They also account for the importance of interactions between parallel channels of visual information processing.

Computer Simulation↗

Stereoscopic processing of absolute and relative disparity in human visual cortex.

Stereoscopic vision relies mainly on relative depth differences between objects rather than on their absolute distance in depth from where the eyes fixate. However, relative disparities are computed from absolute disparities, and it is not known where these two stages are represented in the human brain. Using functional MRI (fMRI), we assessed absolute and relative disparity selectivity with stereoscopic stimuli consisting of pairs of transparent planes in depth in which the absolute and relative disparity signals could be independently manipulated (at a local spatial scale). In experiment 1, relative disparity was kept constant, while absolute disparity was varied in one-half the blocks of trials ("mixed" blocks) and kept constant in the remaining one-half ("same" blocks), alternating between blocks. Because neuronal responses undergo adaptation and reduce their firing rate following repeated presentation of an effective stimulus, the fMRI signal reflecting activity of units selective for absolute disparity is expected to be smaller during "same" blocks as compared with "mixed" ones. Experiment 2 similarly manipulated relative disparity rather than absolute disparity. The results from both experiments were consistent with adaptation with differential effects across visual areas such that 1) dorsal areas (V3A, MT+/V5, V7) showed more adaptation to absolute than to relative disparity; 2) ventral areas (hV4, V8/V4alpha) showed an equal adaptation to both; and 3) early visual areas (V1, V2, V3) showed a small effect in both experiments. These results indicate that processing in dorsal areas may rely mostly on information about absolute disparities, while ventral areas split neural resources between the two types of stereoscopic information so as to maintain an important representation of relative disparity.

Depth Perception↗

Effects of cue context on the perception of depth from combined disparity and perspective cues.

PURPOSE: In normal vision, stereoscopic cues are combined with perspective cues to provide veridical depth perception. The relative strengths of these depth cues, however, may be dependent upon context effects. We investigated the role of stimulus context on the interactions of binocular disparity, contrast, and size. METHODS: The subjects, four observers with normal stereoacuity and one stereo-amblyope, discriminated far vs. near perceived depth of Gabor patches; feedback was based on the sign of binocular disparity. Depth discrimination functions were measured under conditions in which depth cues were consonant or in conflict. Three stimulus contexts were used: (1) variable disparity with fixed spatial frequency and contrast; (2) variable contrast with fixed spatial frequency and disparity; and (3) variable spatial frequency with fixed contrast and disparity. The effects of stimulus context were derived from comparisons of discrimination rates for identical stimuli across the three sets of conditions. RESULTS: In subjects with normal stereopsis, for disparities less than 2 arcmin, depth perception was dominated by contrast in contrast-varying sessions, or by size in spatial frequency-varying sessions. With larger disparities, depth perception became dependent on disparity, regardless of the contrast or spatial frequency of the test stimulus. The results for the stereo-amblyope showed much greater dependence on perspective cues and, in most cases, the transition from perspective- to disparity-based depth perception did not occur. CONCLUSIONS: These investigations demonstrate strong stimulus context effects and have important implications for the combination rules of stereoscopic and perspective cues in depth perception of normal and stereo-deficient subjects.

Contrast Sensitivity↗

The analysis of disparity evoked potentials by a new form of static random-dot stereograms.

PURPOSE: A new form of static random-dot stereograms free of monocular clues was designed as stimulus to elicit disparity evoked potentials. METHODS: Disparity evoked potentials were recorded in 40 stereo-normal subjects. The stimulator was a white-black static random-dot stereograms generated by a computer and had no monocular clues. Every subject was tested in disparity stimulus, zero disparity stimulus, monocular stimulus and wearing prism condition. RESULTS: A characteristic wide positive wave at about 250 ms was consistently recorded in disparity stimulus, which may be regarded as evidence of the presence of stereopsis. In contrast, recordings for zero disparity stimulus, monocular vision, stimulus and wearing prism condition all demonstrated a markedly difference from recording for disparity stimulus.

Adolescent↗

Binocular mechanisms for detecting motion-in-depth.

There are in principle at least two binocular sources of information that could be used to determine the motion of an object towards or away from an observer: such motion produces changes in binocular disparities over time and also generates different image velocities in the two eyes. Existing psychophysical and physiological evidence is reviewed. It is concluded that these data are inconclusive concerning whether one or both of these sources of information are used in primate vision. Thresholds were measured for disparity modulations in dynamic (temporally uncorrelated) random dot stereograms (RDS), and for RDS in which the same random dot pattern was used throughout (temporally correlated). Although the first stimulus contains no consistent inter-ocular velocity differences, thresholds were generally slightly lower for this stimulus than for temporally correlated stimuli. Sensitivity to the temporal derivative of disparity is therefore adequate to account for human stereomotion detection. A stimulus was devised in which monocular motion was clearly visible to each eye (with opposite velocities) but in which all disparity changes were beyond the temporal resolution of stereopsis. This produced no sensation of motion-in-depth. Similarly, stimuli beyond the spatial resolution of stereopsis did not support stereomotion detection. These data strongly suggest that stereomotion is primarily detected by means of temporal changes in binocular disparity. We argue that there is no experimental evidence that supports the existence of a mechanism sensitive to inter-ocular velocity differences.

Depth Perception↗

What is normal binocular vision?

The vergence position of the eyes is determined by the near fixation-accommodation-miosis synkinesis and the fusion mechanism. The contribution of both systems was analysed in 30 normal subjects and 16 subjects with abnormal binocular vision. Prism fixation disparity curves were determined in three different experimental situations: the routine method according to Ogle, a method to stimulate the synkinetic convergence (Experiment I, with one fixation point as sole binocular stimulus) and a method to stimulate the fusion mechanism (Experiment II, with random dot stereograms). Experiment I produced flat curves and Experiment II steep curves. The mean diameter of the horizontal Panum area was 5 minutes of arc in Experiment I and 2 degrees in Experiment II. On the basis of these findings, it was postulated that the synkinetic system operates in the absence of fixation disparity and the fusion system in the presence of fixation disparity. In Experiment II, esodisparities of 100 minutes of arc occur in a number of normal subjects. The dividing line between normal and abnormal binocular vision therefore is blurred. Normal persons can display disparities, the order of magnitude of which is equal to that of the angle of squint in micro-strabismus.

Accommodation, Ocular↗

A physiologically-based explanation of disparity attraction and repulsion.

Westheimer and Levi [(1987) Vision Research, 27, 1361-1368] found that when a few isolated features are viewed foveally, the perceived depth of a feature depends not only on its own disparity but also on those of its neighbors. The nature of this interaction is a function of the lateral separation between the features: When the distance is small the features appear to attract each other in depth but the interaction becomes repulsive at larger distances. Here we introduce a two-dimensional extension of our recent stereo model based on the physiological studies of Ohzawa, DeAngelis and Freeman [(1990) Science, 249, 1037-1041] and demonstrate through analyses and simulations that these observations can be naturally explained without introducing ad hoc assumptions about the connectivity between disparity-tuned units. In particular, our model can explain the distance-dependent attraction/repulsion phenomena in both the vertical-line configuration used by Westheimer [(1986) Journal for Neurophysiology, 370, 619-629], and the horizontal-line-and-point configuration used by Westheimer and Levi. Thus, the psychophysically observed disparity interaction may be viewed as a direct consequence of the known physiological organization of the binocular receptive fields. We also find that the transition distance at which the disparity interaction between features changes from attraction to repulsion is largely determined by the preferred spatial frequency and orientation distributions of the cells used in the disparity computation. This result may explain the observed variations of the transition distance among different subjects in the psychophysical experiments. Finally, our model can also reproduce the observed effect on the perceived disparity when the disparity magnitude of the neighboring features is changed.

Computer Simulation↗

Understanding the cortical specialization for horizontal disparity.

Because the eyes are displaced horizontally, binocular vision is inherently anisotropic. Recent experimental work has uncovered evidence of this anisotropy in primary visual cortex (V1): neurons respond over a wider range of horizontal than vertical disparity, regardless of their orientation tuning. This probably reflects the horizontally elongated distribution of two-dimensional disparity experienced by the visual system, but it conflicts with all existing models of disparity selectivity, in which the relative response range to vertical and horizontal disparities is determined by the preferred orientation. Potentially, this discrepancy could require us to abandon the widely held view that processing in V1 neurons is initially linear. Here, we show that these new experimental data can be reconciled with an initial linear stage; we present two physiologically plausible ways of extending existing models to achieve this. First, we allow neurons to receive input from multiple binocular subunits with different position disparities (previous models have assumed all subunits have identical position and phase disparity). Then we incorporate a form of divisive normalization, which has successfully explained many response properties of V1 neurons but has not previously been incorporated into a model of disparity selectivity. We show that either of these mechanisms decouples disparity tuning from orientation tuning and discuss how the models could be tested experimentally. This represents the first explanation of how the cortical specialization for horizontal disparity may be achieved.

Animals↗

Testing stereopsis in the preschool child: is it clinically useful?

The evaluation of stereoacuity should provide an unambiguous assessment of binocular function in infants and young children. Unfortunately, clinical measures of stereopsis in these young patients often result in stereotheresholds poorer than the criteria suggested to differentiate normal from anomalous binocular vision. Thus, two experiments were conducted to determine whether the large stereothresholds frequently demonstrated on tests designed for young children are diagnostic of normal binocular function in preschool children. The first experiment investigated the salience of the monocular cues in the Lang and Frisby stereotests in normal preschool children (2 to 5 years old). None of the children who passed either the Frisby or the Lang stereotest under binocular conditions were able to pass either test monocularly, even after passing the test binocularly. In the second experiment, preschool children with abnormal binocular vision were tested with the Lang and Frisby stereotests to determine if large disparities (730 to 800 seconds of arc [arcsec]) could be passed without normal binocular vision. None of the children with strabismus passed either stereotest. However, two children with anisometropia passed the Frisby test and one of these children also passed the Lang test. These results suggest that in the absence of other clinical findings to the contrary, the demonstration of gross stereopsis with either the Frisby (730 arcsec) or Lang (733 or 800 arcsec) test in the preschool child implies normal binocular function. Thus, clinical tests of stereopsis for infants and preschool children, like those used routinely for adults, can provide evidence of binocular function without approaching stereothreshold.

Amblyopia↗

Variability of monocular visual acuity during binocular viewing.

Two patients observed changes in the visual acuity of one eye when both eyes were viewing simultaneously in certain directions of gaze. While viewing targets presented during the Turville Infinity Balance (TIB) test, the acuity of the affected or amblyopic eye improved when the nonamblyopic eye was covered and binocular vision suspended. The vision of the amblyopic eye was also improved when an appropriate prism was held in front of either eye. The direction of the prism base was based upon the interrelations of horizontal, vertical, and cyclotorsional anisophoria and the amount of prism was the minimum necessary to improve the vision in the amblyopic eye and neutralize vertical fixation disparity. The correlation of variable monocular acuity, stereopsis, and fixation disparity with oculomotor balance is recorded and discussed.

Adult↗

Information processing of geometrical features of a surface based on binocular disparity cues: an fMRI study.

Cortical areas related to the information processing of binocular disparity-defined geometrical features of a surface, such as depth, orientation and shape are examined by functional magnetic resonance imaging while subjects discriminated these three types of geometrical feature in random dot stereograms. Results indicate that disparity-defined information of depth and that of orientation are processed in the parietal area. Furthermore, the visual system for 3D vision in the parietal area may be organized in a hierarchical manner and the posterior part of the right intraparietal sulcus may be involved in cognitive process of 3D vision. On the other hand, disparity-defined shape information seems to be processed in the occipital visual areas and the crucial involvement of human LOS for this process is suggested.

Adult↗

Temporal integration for stereoscopic vision.

With normal binocular vision, maximal stereoacuity requires an extended viewing duration, but the relationship between the critical viewing duration for stereopsis and other variables affecting stereoacuity is unknown. The purposes of the study were to investigate the properties of normal temporal integration for stereoscopic vision with respect to the effects of contrast and spatial frequency of the stimuli and to determine whether the temporal summation of disparity is affected in deficient stereopsis caused by abnormal binocular vision during infancy. Psychophysical methods were used to measure stereothresholds in human and monkey subjects with either normal binocular vision or abnormal binocular vision. The results showed that the critical viewing duration for stereoscopic depth discrimination was independent of variations in basic stimulus parameters and/or the subject's stereoacuity. A critical duration of approximately 100 ms was found for both local (narrowband Gabor and broadband line targets) and global (dynamic random dots) stimuli. Although stereothresholds increased with decreasing stimulus contrast, the properties of temporal integration did not. Stereothresholds were substantially elevated for monkeys and humans with abnormal binocular vision, but the critical durations for these subjects were not significantly different from those of subjects with normal binocular vision. Overall, the results demonstrate that the general properties of temporal integration for stereopsis are similar to other detection and discrimination tasks that do not require binocular processing. In addition, increased integration time does not account for the elevated stereothresholds of subjects with abnormal binocular vision.

Animals↗