The acts of opening and closing the eyes are of importance for congenital blindness: Evidence from resting-state fMRI
Yi-Xuan Feng,
Ren-Yuan Li,
Wei Wei,
Zi-Jian Feng,
Yun-Kai Sun,
Hai-Yang Sun,
Yi-Yuan Tang,
Yu-Feng Zang,
Ke Yao
Affiliations
Yi-Xuan Feng
Eye Center of the 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab of Ophthalmology, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
Ren-Yuan Li
Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310000, China; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The Affiliated Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310000, China
Wei Wei
Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China; Institutes of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China
Zi-Jian Feng
Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China; Institutes of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China
Yun-Kai Sun
Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China; Institutes of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China
Hai-Yang Sun
Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China; Institutes of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China
Yi-Yuan Tang
Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
Yu-Feng Zang
Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China; Institutes of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China; Corresponding author at: Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China.
Ke Yao
Eye Center of the 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab of Ophthalmology, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China; Corresponding author at: Eye Center of the 2nd Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China.
Volitional eye closure is observed only in conscious and awake humans, and is rare in animals. It is believed that eye closure can focus one's attention inward and facilitate activities such as meditation and mental imagery. Congenital blind individuals are also required to close their eyes for these activities. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) studies have found robust differences between the eyes-closed (EC) and eyes-open (EO) conditions in some brain regions in the sighted. This study analyzed data from 21 congenital blind individuals and 21 sighted controls by using amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) of RS-fMRI. The blind group and the sighted group shared similar pattern of differences between the EC and EO condition: ALFF was higher in the EC condition than the EO condition in the bilateral primary sensorimotor cortex, bilateral supplementary motor area, and inferior occipital cortex, while ALFF was lower in the EC condition than the EO condition in the medial prefrontal cortex, highlighting the “nature” effect on the difference between the EC and EO conditions. The results of other matrices such as fractional ALFF (fALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) showed similar patterns to that of ALFF. Moreover, no significant difference was observed between the EC-EO pattern of the two subgroups of congenital blind (i.e., with and without light perception), suggesting that the EC-EO difference is irrespective of residual light perception which reinforced the “nature” effect. We also found between-group differences, i.e., more probably “nurture effect”, in the posterior insula and fusiform. Our results suggest that the acts of closing and opening the eyes are of importance for the congenital blind, and that these actions and their differences might be inherent in the nature of humans.
