Current Biology
Volume 18, Issue 14, 22 July 2008, Pages 1067-1071
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Brain Plasticity in the Adult: Modulation of Function in Amblyopia with rTMS

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Summary

Amblyopia is a cortically based visual disorder caused by disruption of vision during a critical early developmental period. It is often thought to be a largely intractable problem in adult patients because of a lack of neuronal plasticity after this critical period [1]; however, recent advances have suggested that plasticity is still present in the adult amblyopic visual cortex 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Here, we present data showing that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the visual cortex can temporarily improve contrast sensitivity in the amblyopic visual cortex. The results indicate continued plasticity of the amblyopic visual system in adulthood and open the way for a potential new therapeutic approach to the treatment of amblyopia.

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3

Present address: Department of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand

4

Present address: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3A 1R9, Canada