Seeing through the Ears

透过耳朵看

• 批准号: 7140468
• 负责人: Alvaro Pascual-Leone
• 金额: $ 20.75万
• 依托单位: BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-09-16 至 2008-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7140468
• 关键词: auditory discrimination; behavior test; behavioral /social science research tag; blind aid; clinical research; data collection methodology /evaluation; form /pattern perception; functional magnetic resonance imaging; human subject; neural information processing; neural plasticity; performance; sound perception; space perception; training; transcranial magnetic stimulation; vision aid; visual deprivation; visual feedback

This is a revised submission of a proposal to use psychophysics and brain imaging to investigate the brain activity associated with the processing of environmental visual information presented to the auditory system in blind and sighted individuals. Peter Meijer developed the first camera-based auditory display to preserve a significant amount of environmental visual information in sound, while taking into account the major constraints imposed by both the human auditory system and the frequency-time uncertainty relation (The vOICe, U.S. Patent 5,097,326). The vOICe results in a vision substitution tool for the blind providing a means of presenting live image-to-sound converted scenery and permits the study of cross-modal plasticity. Three groups of subjects will be studied: sighted controls, blind, and sighted-blindfolded subjects,. We will compare results across and within groups before and after training in the use of the image-to-sound conversion system. Training will be conducted daily for four weeks and will combine formal instruction using controlled exercises and more naturalistic, immersive use of the vOICe by the subject while navigating the environment in the laboratory. Three main tasks of decoding and processing visual information by the auditory system will be studied to address: (1) Topographic organization, (2) Mechanisms of object identification, and (3) Object constancy. Behavioral measures, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) will be used. We expect to find significant differences between the groups of subjects in the behavioral measures and brain activity associated with the processing of image-to-sound converted information. This study will provide critical insights into the mechanisms underlying cross-modal plasticity and processing of environmental spatial visual information presented via the auditory system in blind, as well as about metamodal object and space representation. Image-to-sound conversion may eventually become a suitable prosthesis for the blind.

这是一项修订的提议，提出了使用心理物理学和大脑成像来研究与呈现给听觉系统的环境视觉信息相关的大脑活动 在盲人和视力的个人中。彼得·梅耶（Peter Meijer）开发了第一个基于摄像头的听觉显示器，以保留大量的环境视觉信息，同时考虑到专业 人类听觉系统和频率时间不确定性关系施加的约束（声音，美国专利5,097,326）。声音为盲人提供了视觉替代工具 展示现场图像转换的风景并允许研究跨模式可塑性的手段。将研究三组​​受试者：视力控制，盲目和视力固定的受试者。我们将 在培训使用图像到达转换系统的培训前后的组之间进行比较。培训将每天进行四个星期，并将使用受控练习和更自然的，更自然的，身临其境的语音使用，同时在实验室中导航环境。将研究听觉系统解码和处理视觉信息的三个主要任务，以解决：（1）地形组织，（2）对象的机制 识别和（3）对象恒定。行为度量，功能磁共振成像（FMRI）和经颅磁刺激（TMS）将使用。我们希望发现重大差异 在行为度量中的受试者组与与图像对转换的信息的处理相关的大脑活动中的一组。这项研究将为机制提供关键的见解 通过盲目的听觉系统以及关于元模拟物体和空间表示形式，通过听觉系统提出的环境空间视觉信息的潜在跨模式可塑性和处理环境空间视觉信息。图像到听觉转换最终可能成为盲人的合适假体。