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vision

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·February 21, 2025·4 min read

Every Breath You Take Alters Your Visual Perception

Researchers have discovered that breathing affects pupil size, with the pupil being smallest during inhalation and largest during exhalation. This newly identified mechanism is independent of external stimuli and could influence vision by alternating between detail enhancement and object detection.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·January 27, 2025·5 min read

How the Brain Processes Space and Time

New research highlights a functional hierarchy in the brain's processing of space and time. In posterior areas, like the occipital cortex, space and time are tightly linked and processed by the same neurons. In anterior regions, such as the frontal cortex, space and time are processed independently, with distinct neural populations forming "time maps" for specific durations.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·January 16, 2025·8 min read

Multifocal Lenses Reduce Myopia Risks

New research demonstrates that high-add multifocal contact lenses significantly slow myopia progression in children, with benefits that persist even after discontinuation. The lenses, designed to slow eye growth and reduce long-term myopia-related risks, showed no rebound effect after treatment stopped.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·December 18, 2024·4 min read

Genes Behind Dyslexia Linked to Brain Changes in Motor, Vision, and Language

A large-scale study revealed that genetic variants linked to dyslexia are associated with differences in brain areas controlling motor coordination, vision, and language. Using data from over a million individuals, researchers calculated genetic "polygenic scores" for dyslexia and analyzed their relationship to brain structures. Higher genetic risk for dyslexia was tied to lower volumes in brain regions related to speech processing and movement, and increased volumes in the visual cortex.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·December 4, 2024·4 min read

Sleep Apnea May Increase Risk of Wet Macular Degeneration

A new study has linked moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), characterized by low oxygen levels overnight, with an increased risk of developing wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The research suggests nocturnal hypoxia could affect the oxygen-sensitive retina, contributing to AMD progression.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·November 25, 2024·6 min read

How Expectations Shape Our Gaze in a Changing World

Our expectations about potential changes in a scene influence how we move our eyes, even when viewing static images. Participants looked more at areas with a high "potential for change" (PfC)—such as objects likely to move—when they expected the scene to become dynamic, despite no motion occurring during the observation period.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·November 18, 2024·5 min read

Dual-Gene Therapy Shows Promise for Hearing and Vision Loss

Researchers have developed a dual-gene therapy approach to treat Usher syndrome type 1F, a rare condition causing deafness and progressive blindness. By splitting the large PCDH15 gene into two halves, delivering them via adeno-associated viruses, and reassembling them in cells, the therapy restored hearing and balance in mice. Tests in human retinal organoids and primate retinas showed increased levels of protocadherin-15 in light-sensing cells, offering hope for vision preservation.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·November 7, 2024·4 min read

How Our Brain Stabilizes Vision Amid Constant Eye Movement

A new study reveals how the brain compensates for rapid eye movements, maintaining a stable visual perception despite dynamic visual input. Researchers found that this stability mechanism breaks down for non-rigid motion like rotating vortices, leading to visual instability.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·October 10, 2024·4 min read

Neuroimaging Reveals How OPC Cells Shape Visual Processing

Researchers revealed the intricate role of OPC cells in shaping the brain's neural circuits. Previously known mainly for supporting neuron insulation, OPCs also prune unnecessary synaptic connections, refining the brain’s wiring as we accumulate experiences.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·October 2, 2024·4 min read

Targeting Protein Reduces Macular Degeneration Symptoms

New research identifies a protein, TIMP3, overproduced in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that may drive the disease’s progression. By targeting the enzyme linked to inflammation and drusen formation, scientists reduced early signs of AMD in stem cell models, offering hope for new treatments.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology Visual Neuroscience

·October 1, 2024·5 min read

Reduced Brain Response to Visual Cues Linked to Psychosis in Parkinson’s

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) who experience visual hallucinations have reduced brain responses to unexpected visual changes, a marker known as visual mismatch negativity (vMMN). Using EEG, researchers compared brain activity in PD patients with and without hallucinations and discovered that those with hallucinations showed weaker vMMN signals.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·September 9, 2024·4 min read

Gene Therapy Offers Hope for Glaucoma and AMD

A newly developed gene therapy shows great potential for treating glaucoma, a condition that can lead to vision loss. The therapy protects retinal ganglion cells, essential for vision, and improves their function in animal models of glaucoma. It also enhances energy production in human retinal cells, which could prevent further damage. This therapy offers a new and promising approach to treating a condition that affects millions worldwide.