Question

Which of the following would be good evidence for the "adaptive" plasticity in the visual cortex in patients with macular degeneration (MD)?

A. Patients develop a "preferred retinal location", or PRL, which they preferentially use to fixate visual stimuli.

B. Patients with MD experience distortions of the visual field in regions of the visual field adjacent to the scotoma, or blind spot, in the central visual field.

C. Neurons in the deafferented regions of the primary visual cortex begin to respond to stimulation in the "preferred retinal location", or PRL.

D. Despite a large region of deafferented tissue in the primary visual cortex, patients with MD only have a small scotoma, or blind spot, in the central visual field.

Answer 1

Which of the following would be good evidence for the "adaptive" plasticity in the visual cortex in patients with macular degeneration (MD)?

Answer: (A) Patients develop a "preferred retinal location", or PRL, which they preferentially use to fixate visual stimuli.

Macular degeneration (MD) affects gradually the central visual acuity. In order to cope up with the condition, MD patients often develop a region called preferred retinal location PRL. PRL being a functional retinal area in their periphery, is utilized to fixate instead of the damaged fovea.