Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2022, 166(3):251-257 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2022.027

Visual neuroprosthesis: present and future perspectives

Jan Lestaka, Jiri Chodb, Jozef Rosinaa, Karel Hanaa
a Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic
b Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic

The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the replacements used in lost vision in the form of the bionic eye, to show their deficiencies and outline other possibilities for non-invasive stimulation of functional areas of the visual cortex. The review highlights the damage not only to the primary altered cellular structures, but also to all other horizontally and vertically localised structures. Based on the results of a large number of functional magnetic resonance imaging and electrophysiological methods, the authors focus on the pathology of the entire visual pathway in pigmentary retinopathy (PR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study provides a recent overview of the possible systems used to replace lost vision. These range from stimulation with intraocular implants, through stimulation of the optic nerve and lateral geniculate nucleus to the visual cortex. The second part deals with the design of image processing technology and its transformation into the form of transcranial stimulation of undamaged parts of the brain, which is protected by a patent. This is comprehensive overview of the current possibilities of replacement of lost vision and a proposal for a new non-invasive methods of stimulation of functional neurons of the visual cortex.

Keywords: functional magnetic resonance imaging, electrophysiological methods, pigmentary retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, visual neuroprosthesis

Received: April 26, 2022; Revised: May 25, 2022; Accepted: May 26, 2022; Prepublished online: June 14, 2022; Published: September 14, 2022  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Lestak, J., Chod, J., Rosina, J., & Hana, K. (2022). Visual neuroprosthesis: present and future perspectives. Biomedical papers, 166(3), 251-257. doi: 10.5507/bp.2022.027
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Bourne RRA, Flaxman SR, Braithwaite T. Magnitude, temporal trends, and projections of the global prevalence of blindness and distance and near vision impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health 2017;5:888-97. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    2. Fernández E, Pelayo F, Romero S, Bongard M, Marin C, Alfaro A, Merabet L. Development of a cortical visual neuroprosthesis for the blind: the relevance of neuroplasticity. J Neural Eng 2005;2:1-12. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. Lešták J. Neurotransmission in visual analyser and bionic eye. A Review. Čes a slov Oftal 2021;77:55-59. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    4. Milam AH, Li ZY, Fariss RN. Histopathology of the human retina in retinitis pigmentosa. Prog Retin Eye Res 1998;17:175-205.
    5. Ohno N, Murai H, Suzuki Y, Kiyosawa M, Tokumaru AM, Ishii K, Ohno-Matsui K. Alteration of the optic radiations using diffusiontensor MRI in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Br J Ophthalmol 2015;99:1051-54. doi: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2014-305809 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Lešták J, Tintěra J, Karel I, Svatá Z, Rozsíval P. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with the Wet Form of Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Neuroophthalmology 2013;37:192-97. doi: 10.3109/01658107.2013.819581 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. Medeiros NE, Curcio CA. Preservation of ganglion cell layer neurons in age-related macular degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2001;42:795-803. Go to PubMed...
    8. Tassicker GE. Preliminary report on a retinal stimulator. Br J Physiol Opt 1956;13:102-5. Go to PubMed...
    9. Ayton LN, Barnes N, Dagnelie G, Fujikado T, Goetz G, Hornig R, Jones BW, Muqit MMK, Rathbun DL, Stingl K, Weiland JD, Petoe MA. An update on retinal prostheses. Clin Neurophysiol 2020;131:1383-98. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Humayun MS, Weiland JD, Fujii GY, Greenberg R, Williamson R, Little J, Mech B, Cimmarusti V, van Boemel G, Dagnelie G, Juan E. Visual perception in a blind subject with a chronic microelectronic retinal prosthesis. Vision Res 2003;43:2573-81. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    11. Ayton LN, Blamey PJ, Guymer RH, Luu ChD, Nayagam DAX, Sinclair SC, Shivdasani MN, Yeoh J, McCombe MF, Briggs RJ, Opie NL, Villalobos J, Dimitrov PN, Varsamidis M, Petoe MA, McCarthy CD, Walker JG, Barnes N, Burkitt AN, Williams CE, Shepherd RK, Allen PJ. Bionic Vision Australia Research Consortium. First-in-human trial of a novel suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis. PLoS One 2014;9(12):e115239. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Fujikado T, Kamei M, Sakaguchi H, Kanda H, Endo T, Hirota M, Morimoto T, Nishida K, Kishima H, Terasawa Y, Oosawa K, Ozawa M, Nishida K. One-year outcome of 49-channel suprachoroidal-transretinal stimulation prosthesis in patients with advanced retinitis pigmentosa. Invest Ophthal Vis Sci 2016;57:6147-57. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    13. Zrenner E, Bartz-Schmidt KU, Benav H, Besch D, Bruckmann A, Gabel VP, Gekeler F, Greppmaier U, Harscher A, Kibbel S, Koch J, Kusnyerik A, Peters T, Stingl K, Sachs H, Stett A, Szurman P, Wilhelm B, Wilke R. Subretinal electronic chips allow blind patients to read letters and combine them to words. Proc Biol Sci 2011;278:1489-97. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. Lorach H, Goetz G, Smith R, Lei X, Mandel Y, Kamins T, Mathieson K, Huie P, Harris J, Sher A, Palanker D. Photovoltaic restoration of sight with high visual acuity. Nat Med 2015;21:476-82. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Humayun MS, Dorn JD, da Cruz L, Dagnelie G, Sahel JA, Stanga PE, Cideciyan AV, Duncan JL, Eliott D, Filley E, Ho AC, Santos A, Safran AB, Arditi A, Priore LVD, Greenberg RJ. Study Group. Interim results from the international trial of Second Sight's visual prosthesis. Ophthalmology 2012;119:779-88. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Waschkowski F, Hesse S, Rieck AC, Lohmann T, Brockmann C, Laube T, Bornfeld N, Thumann G, Walter P, Mokwa W, Johnen S, Roessler G. Development of very large electrode arrays for epiretinal stimulation (VLARS). Biomed Eng Online 2014;6;13(1):11. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Walter P. A fully intraocular approach for a bi-directional retinal prosthesis. In: Gabel VP. (ed.) Artificial vision. Cham: Springer, 2016, pp. 151-161 Go to original source...
    18. Rizzo JF 3rd, Wyatt J, Loewenstein J, Kelly S, Shire D. Methods and perceptual thresholds for short-term electrical stimulation of human retina with microelectrode arrays. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci2003; 44:5355-61. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Chow AY, Bittner AK, Pardue MT. The artificial silicon retina in retinitis pigmentosa patients (an American Ophthalmological Association thesis). Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc 2010;108:120-54. Go to PubMed...
    20. Bloch E, Luo Y, Cruz L. Advances in retinal prosthesis systems. Ther Adv Ophthalmol 2019; 11:2515841418817501. doi: 10.1177/2515841418817501 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. First Bionic Eye Implant in the UK Helps Blind 88-Year-Old Woman to See Again. Available from: https://ophthalmologybreakingnews.com/first-bionic-eye-implant-in-the-uk-helps-blind-88-year-old-woman-to-see-again. [cited 2022 Apr 20]
    22. Saunders AL, Williams CE, Heriot W, Briggs R, Yeoh J, Nayagam DA, McCombe M, Villalobos J, Burns O, Luu CD, Ayton LN, McPhedran M, Opie NL, McGowan C, Shepherd RK, Guymer R, Allen PJ. Development of a surgical procedure for implantation of a prototype suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis. Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2014;42:665-74. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Curcio CA, Sloan KR, Kalina RE, Hendrickson AE. Human photoreceptor topography. J Comp Neurol 1990; 292:497-523. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    24. Veraart C, Raftopoulos C, Mortime, JT, Delbeke J, Pins D, Michaux G, Vanlierde A, Parrini S, Wanet-Defalque MC. Visual sensations produced by optic nerve stimulation using an implanted self-sizing spiral cuff electrode. Brain Res 1998;813:181-86. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Sakaguchi H, Kamei M, Fujikado T, Yonezawa E, Ozawa M, Cecilia-Gonzalez C, Ustariz-Gonzalez O, Quiroz-Mercado H, Tano Y. Artificial vision by direct optic nerve electrode (AV-DONE) implantation in a blind patient with retinitis pigmentosa. J Artif Organs 2009;12:206-9. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    26. Delbeke J. Electrodes and chronic optic nerve stimulation. Biocybern Biomed Eng 2011;31:81-94. Go to original source...
    27. Pezaris JS, Reid RC. Demonstration of artificial visual percepts generated through thalamic microstimulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007;104:7670-75. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    28. Panetsos F, Sanchez-Jimenez A, Rodrigo-Diaz E, Diaz-Guemes I, Sanchez FM. Consistent phosphenes generated by electrical microstimulation of the visual thalamus. An experimental approach for thalamic visual neuroprostheses. Front Neurosci 2011;5:84. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    29. Foerster O. Contributions to the pathophysiology of the visual pathway and visual sphere. J Psychol Neurol 1929;39:435-63.
    30. Krause F, Schum H. Neue deutsche Chirurgie. Stuttgart, Germany: Enke.1931.
    31. Brindley GS, Lewin WS. The sensations produced by electrical stimulation of the visual cortex. J Physiol 1968;196:479-93. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    32. Dobelle WH, Mladejovsky MG. Phosphenes produced by electrical stimulation of human occipital cortex, and their application to the development of a prosthesis for the blind. J Physiol 1974;243:553-57. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    33. Dobelle WH. Artificial vision for the blind by connecting a television camera to the visual cortex. ASAIO J 2000;46:3-9. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    34. Margalit E, Maia M, Weiland JD, Greenberg RJ, Fujii GY, Torres G, Piyathaisere DV, O'Hearn TM, Liu W, Lazzi G, Dagnelie G, Scribner DA, de Juan E Jr, Humayun MS. Retinal prosthesis for the blind. Surv Ophthalmol 2002;47:335-56. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    35. Lane FJ. Methods and results from interviews of eleven recipients of a visual cortex implant: An analysis of their experiences The Eye and the Chip: World Congress on Artificial Vision. Detroit, Michigan, 2012.
    36. Piedade M, Gerald J, Sousa LA, Tavares G, Tomas P. Visual neuroprosthesis: a non invasive system for stimulating the cortex. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers 2005; 52(12):2648-62. doi: 10.1109/TCSI.2005.857923 Go to original source...
    37. Pouratian N. The visual cortical prosthesis system provided some functional vision to blind patients in a 12-month assessment of the device. Ophthalmology Times 2020;23, Available from: https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/retina/prosthesis-system-may-help-blind-patients-see-again). [cited 2022 Apr 20]
    38. Beauchamp MS, Oswalt D, Sun P, Foster BL, Magnotti JF, Niketeghad S, Pouratian N, Bosking WH, Yoshor D. Dynamic Stimulation of Visual Cortex Produces Form Vision in Sighted and Blind Humans. Cell 2020;181:774-83. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.033 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    39. Strong SL, Silson EH, Gouws AD, Morland AB, McKeefry DJ. A Direct Demonstration of Functional Differences between Subdivisions of Human V5/MT. Cereb Cortex 2017;27:1-10. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhw362 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    40. Sanada TM, Namima T, Komatsu H. Comparison of the color selectivity of macaque V4 neurons in different color spaces. J Neurophysiol 2016;116:2163-72. doi: 10.1152/jn.00108.2016 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    41. Conway BR. The Organization and Operation of Inferior Temporal Cortex. Annu Rev Vis Sci 2018;15:381-402. doi: 10.1146/annurev-vision-091517-034202 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    42. Gaglianese A, Costagli M, Bernardi G, RicciardiE., Pietrini P. Evidence of a direct influence between the thalamus and h.MT+ independent of V1 in the human brain as measured by fMRI. Neuroimage 2012;60:1440-47. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.01.093 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    43. Ajina S, Bridge H. Subcortical pathways to extrastriate visual cortex underlie residual vision following bilateral damage to V1. Neuropsychologia 2019;128:140-49. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    44. Lee W, Kim HC, Jung Y, Chung YA , Song IU, Lee JH, Yoo SS. Transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation of human primary visual cortex. Sci Rep 2016;6:34026. doi: 10.1038/srep34026 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    45. Lu G, Qian X, Castillo J, Li R, Jiang L, Lu H, Kirk Shung K, Humayun MS, Thomas BB, Zhou Q. Transcranial Focused Ultrasound for Noninvasive Neuromodulation of the Visual Cortex. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 2021;68:21-8. doi: 10.1109/TUFFC.2020.3005670 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    46. Gao M, Yu Y, Zhao H, Li G, Jiang H, Wang C, Cai F, Chan LL, Chiu B, Qian W, Qiu W, Zheng H. Simulation study of an ultrasound retinal prosthesis with a novel contact-lens array for noninvasive retinal stimulation. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2017;25:1605-11. doi: 10.1109/TNSRE.2017.2682923 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    47. Fregni F, Pascual-Leone A. Technology insight: noninvasive brain stimulation in neurology-perspectives on the therapeutic potential of rTMS and tDCS. Nat Clin Pract Neurol 2007;3:383-93. doi: 10.1038/ncpneuro0530 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    48. Williams JA, Imamura M, Fregni,F. Updates on the use of non-invasive brain stimulation in physical and rehabilitation medicine. J Rehabil Med 2009;41:305-11. doi: 10.2340/16501977-0356 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    49. Sabel BA, Cárdenas-Morales L, Gao Y. Vision Restoration in Glaucoma by Activating Residual Vision with a Holistic, Clinical Approach: A Review. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2018;12:1-9. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    50. Luan S, Williams I, Nikolic K, Constandinou TG. Neuromodulation: present and emerging methods. Front Neuroeng 2014;7:27. doi: 10.3389/fneng.2014.00027 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    51. Vrba J. Lékařské aplikace mikrovlnné techniky. Vyd. 1. V Praze: Nakladatelství ČVUT, 2007, dotisk. 168 s. ISBN 978-80-01-02705-9
    52. Boonzaier J, van Tilborg GAF, Neggers SFW, Dijkhuizen RM. Noninvasive Brain Stimulation to Enhance Functional Recovery After Stroke: Studies in Animal Models. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2018;32:927-40. doi: 10.1177/1545968318804425 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    53. Zheng KY, Da, GY, Lan Y, Wang XQ. Trends of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation From 2009 to 2018: A Bibliometric Analysis. Front Neurosci 2020;14:106. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00106 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content