Blindness in AMD patients: Study says brain can integrate artificial and natural vision correctly

A new research  has found that the brain knows how to integrate natural and artificial vision while maintaining information processing that is important for the vision which can help in better treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The study mentioned that AMD in the West causes blindness in millions of people. In the Western world, it is the most common cause of serious vision loss for those aged 50 and over and is growing with age. Although no remedy is available for AMD, recent significant advances in artificial retina implants may contribute to effective treatment.

Locate inside the eye, the retina contains light receptors ( photo-receptors) that absorb light. Information is then processed and transmitted to the brain.

The macula, the central area of the retina, processes most of the information that reaches the brain from the eye. enabling one to see while reading and driving, facial recognition, and any other activity that required accurate vision.

In the peripheral retina, the area of the retina outside the macula that assist mainly with spatial judgement, vision is 10-20 times less precise.

in AMD, precise vision is impaired due to damage to the centre of the retina, while peripheral vision remains normal.

When there is damage to the photo-receptor layers in the retina, an artificial retina may be implanted. Activating these electrodes results in electrical stimulation of the remaining retina cells and results in the visual restoration, albeit partially.

AMD patients implanted with an artificial retina possess a combination of artificial central vision and normal peripheral vision. This combination of artificial and natural vision is important to study in order to understand how to help the blind.

One of the key issues here is whether the brain can integrate artificial and natural vision correctly.
One of the researchers has used a unique projection system that stimulated either natural vision, artistic vision or a combination of natural and artificial vision and at the same time records cortical responses in rodents implanted with a subretinal implant.

The implant is made up of dozens of small solar cells and electrodes developed at Standford Uni.

These ground breaking findings have implications on better vision restore for retinal prosthetic implanted in AMD patients and help the theory of incorporation of prosthetic and natural vision into the brain.
The findings can also have an impact on future brain-machine interface systems where artificial and natural procedures co-exist, said the Prof.

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New Study Shows Why You Shouldn't Wear a Tie

Ties serve little functional purpose, in fact, many, including many actors, have described the suit and tie as an 'anachronism'. But few would think that such an item of clothing could actually damage your health. Scientists have recently described the act of wearing a tie as 'socially desirable strangulation' - as a study investigated how ties affect blood flow to the brain, and the results weren't good. 

In fact, results showed that wearing a tie results in a significant dip in blood flow to the brain. In the study, 15 men wearing ties and 15 men without were scanned using MRI to measure the blood flow to the head. Researchers found that the brains of people who wore ties were, on average, receiving 7.5% less 'cerebral blood flow' than the brains of those subjects within the control group. The scientists attributed the lower blood flow to the narrowing of the carotid arteries, which carry blood away from the heart due to the pressure of the tie. 

While a 7.5% reduction in blood flow may not seem substantial enough to cause noticeable health problems, people who suffer from other health issues do need to be cautious. This includes people who have high blood pressure, or if you are a pensioner or a smoker, as you could end up suffering from headaches, dizziness, and nausea if you wear a tie for too long.  


Studies have also shown that ties may raise the risk of glaucoma, cataracts and other injuries. In fact,they investigated the effects of ties on the head. According to research, wearing a tie can restrict the blood flow through the jugular vein as well as through the carotid arteries. 

Consequently, the restriction can end up causing a backup of blood along the system to the eye, raising eye pressure. This means that a raised intraocular eye pressure is considered a risk factor for glaucoma and cataracts. Thus, according to the study, it could possibly increase the risk of worsening existing glaucoma. 

Furthermore, you can even increase your risk of Musculoskeletal trauma just by wearing a tie. According to research, those who wear ties often find their range of motion 'significantly decreased' when wearing a tight necktie, compared to without it. This may lead to certain muscles causing tension to accumulate in the upper trapezius and raising the risk of injuries. 

But, what may be more worrying than spraining a muscle in the office is the fact that wearing a tie in a health-focused workplace could be putting others at potentially severe risk. In fact, a study showed that among 42 male surgical clinicians at the New York Hospital, nearly half had managed to accrue infection-causing pathogens on their ties. 

According to researchers, who carried out the study, they said that "Hospital-acquired infections account for a large proportion of high rates of morbidity, mortality, and costs. We estimated there are approximately 440,000 of these infections annually among US adult inpatients and that their annual costs are $9.8 billion." Therefore ties harboring pathogens could be making a serious contribution to an increasingly concerning healthcare issue. Perhaps it's high time we do away with ties altogether.

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