Publications

Studies of visual face processing often use flat images as proxies for real faces due to their ease of manipulation and experimental control. Although flat images capture many features of a face, they lack the rich three-dimensional (3D) structural information available when binocularly viewing real faces (e.g., binocular cues to a long nose). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the contribution of naturalistic binocular depth information to univariate activation levels and multivariate activation patterns in depth- and face-selective human brain regions. We used two cameras to capture images of real people from the viewpoints of the two eyes. These images were presented with natural viewing geometry (such that the size, distance, and binocular disparities were comparable to a real face at a typical viewing distance). Participants viewed stereopairs under four conditions: accurate binocular disparity (3D), zero binocular disparity (two-dimensional [2D]), reversed binocular disparity (pseudoscopic 3D), and no binocular disparity (monocular 2D). Although 3D faces (both 3D and pseudoscopic 3D) elicited higher activation levels than 2D faces, as well as distinct activation patterns, in depth-selective occipitoparietal regions (V3A, V3B, IPS0, IPS1, hMT+), face-selective occipitotemporal regions (OFA, FFA, pSTS) showed limited sensitivity to internal facial disparities. These results suggest that 2D images are a reasonable proxy for studying the neural basis of face recognition in face-selective regions, although contributions from 3D structural processing within the dorsal visual stream warrant further consideration.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the reflectivity of the outer retinal layers (ORLs) in patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) and to examine the relationship between the dimensions of the subretinal fluid (SRF) and ORL.

METHODS: This retrospective, cross-sectional study included 33 eyes of 33 patients with CSCR and 33 age- and gender-matched controls. Unnormalized and relative reflectivities for the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the external limiting membrane (ELM), and the ellipsoid zone (EZ), as well as SRF height, base width, and area, were measured on optical coherence tomography images. Reflectivity measurements for each retinal layer were performed at three anatomic locations (foveal center, nasal, and temporal regions, 1 mm apart), and the average of these three values was used to calculate average reflectivity (RPEav, EZav, ELMav).

RESULTS: RPEav, EZav, and ELMav were lower in patients with CSCR (P < 0.001). In the pigment epithelium detachment (PED) group, EZn and EZav were significantly lower than in the non-PED group (P = 0.012 and P = 0.013, respectively). A negative correlation was observed between SRF base width and EZav (P = 0.018) and ELMav (P = 0.021). SRF area was negatively correlated with both EZav (P = 0.049) and ELMav (P = 0.025). RPEc was negatively correlated with SRF elevation (P = 0.016).

CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals novel associations between SRF dimensions, PED presence, and outer retinal layer damage in CSCR. Monitoring ORL reflectivity changes may provide insights into disease pathogenesis and help evaluate treatment efficacy.