Efeitos da estimulação transcraniana por corrente contínua sobre o processamento visual básico

Autor: Thiago Leiros Costa
Jazyk: portugalština
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da USPUniversidade de São PauloUSP.
Druh dokumentu: Doctoral Thesis
Popis: A Estimulação Transcraniana por Corrente Contínua (ETCC) é um método para modulação não-invasiva da atividade cerebral que vem sendo amplamente utilizado na pesquisa clínica e na investigação da relação complexa entre comportamento e atividade cerebral. Por outro lado, os efeitos da ETCC sobre o desempenho visual ainda foram pouco estudados, e a especificidade de vias visuais e funções afetadas pela estimulação não foi investigada. É fundamental elucidar tais questões antes de propor aplicações clínicas adequadas da ETCC na reabilitação visual. Aqui, utilizamos testes psicofísicos e eletrofisiológicos sensíveis a alterações em diferentes vias e grupos de células do sistema visual para avaliar os efeitos da ETCC. Realizamos experimentos em voluntários saudáveis e um modelo animal. Nos experimentos em humanos, os participantes receberam ETCC anódica, catódica e placebo (Oz-Cz, 0,06mA/cm2) em sessões distintas. (1) Para testar a visão de cores, utilizamos Cambridge Colour Test (CCT) e uma tarefa de contraste de cores com grade senoidal verde-vermelho. No CCT a ETCC anódica aumentou a sensibilidade no eixo tritan (p
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ( tDCS ) is a noninvasive brain stimulation method that has been widely used in clinical research and investigations of the complex relationship between behavior and brain activity. Nevertheless, the effects of tDCS on visual performance are still poorly understood and specificity of the visual pathways and functions affected by stimulation was not yet investigated. It is essential to elucidate such issues before proposing appropriate clinical applications of tDCS on visual rehabilitation. Here, we used psychophysical and electrophysiological methods sensitive to changes in different groups of cells and pathways of the visual system to evaluate the effects of tDCS. We conducted experiments in healthy volunteers and an animal model. In human experiments, participants received anodal, cathodal and sham tDCS ( Oz - Cz, 0.06 mA/cm2 ) in separate sessions. (1) To test color vision, we used Cambridge Colour Test ( CCT ) and a color contrast sensitivity task with red-green sinusoidal gratings. Anodal tDCS increased sensitivity in the tritan axis ( p < 0.001 ) and had no effect on the sensitivity in protan and deutan axes. Cathodal tDCS decreased sensitivity in deutan axis and increased sensitivity in the tritan axis. The effects returned to baseline after 15 min. ( 2 ) To test achromatic vision we used psychophysical tests of grating contrast sensitivity and Pedestal - - Pedestal. We also used Sweep Visual Evoked Potential ( PVEv ) for contrast sensitivity and vernier acuity. TDCS did not affect psychophysical of PVEv contrast thresholds. Anodal tDCS significantly increased thresholds for the pedestal decrement only in the magnocellular pathway mediated responses. For PVEv contrast, cathodal tDCS increased to suprathreshold response amplitude to 0.5 cpd and decreased it for 4cpd without affecting responses to 16cpd. Cathodal tDCS increased the phase for 4cpg and decreased it to 16cpg. There was a significant effect of anodal and cathodal tDCS on suprathreshold Vernier responses. (3) To evaluate the effects on the visual field we used the 10-2 and 60-4 protocols of the Humphrey perimeter. tDCS only significantly affected the performance of the most eccentric points measured with the perimeter, increasing sensitivity. Still, previous literature results were not replicated. The opposite effect of cathodal tDCS on the tritan and deutan sensitivity, and in the processing of different spatial frequency bands suggests that different pathways and groups of cells in the visual system are affected differently by tDCS. In general, the results suggest that tDCS may have a different effect on different groups of cells in the visual cortex and thus is a potential tool for studying the organization of the visual system. Furthermore, the change latency encountered suggest that tDCS can lead to functional alterations of the temporal summation in the stimulated cells. Future studies should take into account possible differential effects of tDCS on different groups of cells in the stimulated areas. (4) In the experiment with the animal model, albino rabbits received tDCS over the primary visual cortex. VEP flashes were measured before and after tDCS. Only cathodal tDCS produced significant effects. The results are consistent with the literature in humans and were consistent for all animals. The use of this model will enable research of cellular and molecular mechanisms of tDCS on visual cortex
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