Brainnetome Atlas Research Of Motion Area (V5/MT+)

Motion area V5/MT+(Visual area 5/Middle Temporal comlpex) is closely related to visual motion perception in sighted people. Different types of visual motion stimulus(circle, checkerboard, translation) and field of view(Peripheral vs. central, ipsilateral vs. contralateral) will active different parts whithin V5/MT+. This finding indicates that V5/MT+ has distinct subregions. So far, the approach for V5/MT+ partition included cytoarchitecture-based, myelination-based, Positron Emission Computed Tomography(PET)-based specific task, Functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)-based retinotopic organization mapping. Different from traditional microscopical properties based parcellation and specific task-based parcellation approach, we proposed to parcellate the V5/MT+ area based on different anatomical connectivity pattern in this thesis. The ensuing analysis of subregion anatomical connectivity pattern found that the dorsal subregion in left V5/MT+ has stronger connectivity with middle occipital, middle temporal and putamen while the ventral subregion has stronger connectivity with inferior occipital, inferior temporal, parahippocampal and precuneus. In right V5/MT+, dorsal subregion has stronger connectivity with superior temporal and angular while ventral subregion is more with inferior occipital, inferior temporal and right fusiform.In addition, many previous studies have reported that auditory motion stimulus can significantly activate V5/MT+ in some of blind people but not in sighted people, and there is even de-active result in some sighted people. Thus, in the second study in this thesis, we analyzed whole-brain resting state functional connectivity changes of V5/MT+ among four groups of blind people(congenital, early, adolescent and late blindness). The results showed that, as the onset of blindness later, the significant differences between left V5/MT+ with bilateral frontal lobe, left posterior cingulated cortex and left inferior parietal lobule decreased and finally disappeared; the significant difference between right V5/MT+ and right middle frontal gyrus decreased and subsequently disappeared. Moreover, we also found significant differences between left V5/MT+ and frontal lobe are more than right. This may suggest that left V5/MT+ has greater contribution to auditory motion sensitivity in blind people.