Strategic filtering of high-energy visible light expands neural correlates of functional vision particularly in older participants

Billy Hammond; Marissa Gogniat; John Buch; L Stephen Miller

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17271

Strategic filtering of high-energy visible light expands neural correlates of functional vision particularly in older participants

Heliyon. 2023 Jul 5;9(7):e17271. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17271. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Authors

Billy Hammond¹, Marissa Gogniat², John Buch³, L Stephen Miller⁴

Affiliations

¹ Vision Sciences Laboratory, Behavioral and Brain Sciences Program, Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
² Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
³ Research & Development, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., Jacksonville, FL, USA.
⁴ Neuropsychology and Memory Assessment Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, USA.

Abstract

In this study we assessed the neural correlates of functional vision while varying patterns of light filtration. Four filter conditions used relatively flat filtering across the visible spectrum while one filter was a step filter that selectively absorbed violet light (wavelengths below about 415 nm). Neural effects were quantified by measuring the BOLD response ((T2*-based fMRI) while subjects performed a challenging visual task (judging gap direction in Landolt Cs that randomly varied in size). In general (based on p < 0.01 directional criterion not corrected for aggregated error), as filtering increased (less interference by bright light), brain activity associated with the task also increased. This effect, even using the most conservative statistics, was most evident when using the violet filter (especially for the older subjects) despite only reducing the very highest energy portion of the visible spectrum. This finding suggests that filtering can increase neural activity associated with functional vision; such effects might be achievable through filtering just the highest visible energy (violet).

Keywords: BOLD response; Filtering; Functional MRI; Glare disability.