Use of functional magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of neural plasticity in macular degeneration

This review evaluates the use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to
investigate brain plasticity in Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). An analysis
of studies utilizing fMRI methods identified three primary research approaches:
task-based fMRI (17 studies), resting-state fMRI (4 studies), and population receptive
fields (pRF) with population connective fields modeling (pCF; 3 studies). The
review outlines the principles behind each fMRI methodology and summarizes
the key functional and morphological findings. Results consistently demonstrated
significant structural and connectivity reorganization in the brains of individuals
with AMD, suggesting that the brain undergoes adaptive responses to sensory
loss. Voxel-based morphometric findings, measuring the gray matter volume
loss in visual cortex, further confirm these structural changes, which appear
to correlate with altered functional connectivity. These insights underscore the
intricate relationship between sensory deficits and cognitive function in AMD and
emphasize the potential for targeted therapeutic interventions. FMRI emerges as
a vital tool in group studies for understanding the neural underpinnings of AMD
and its broader cognitive implications.