Abstract #4231

Structural & Functional Changes in Visual Pathways & Visual Cortex Associated with Visual Field Improvement After Therapy in a Case of Hemianopia

Yi-Ching Lynn Ho^1,2, Laura Mancini^3,4, Amandine Cheze², Esben Thade Petersen^2,5, Kong-Yong Goh⁶, Yih-Yian Sitoh², Xavier Golay^3,4

¹Center for Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus, Denmark; ²Neuroradiology, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore; ³Academic Neuroradiological Unit, Dept of Brain Repair & Rehabilitation, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom; ⁴Lysholm Dept of Neuroradiology, National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, London, United Kingdom; ⁵Clinical Imaging Research Centre, Singapore; ⁶Eye Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

No clear physiological correlates have yet been given for the apparent visual field improvements of patients with post-chiasmal lesions after Visual Restoration Therapy (VRT). Using DTI and fMRI retinotopic mapping, we assessed a patient before and after VRT. Before therapy, there was residual retinopy and surviving optic radiation fascicles around the lesion, despite the patients dense hemianopia. After therapy, there were improvements in the lower visual field of the affected side. Together with the fMRI results, we report the novel DTI results here, suggesting the modulation of the optic tract, the optic radiation and the visual cortex with visual therapy.