Dual Mechanisms Behind Rapid Eye Dominance Plasticity Discovered in Adult Brain

成年大脑中发现快速眼优势可塑性背后的双重机制

December 01, 2025

2025年12月01日

A new study published in Communications Biology has uncovered two distinct yet interconnected mechanisms responsible for ocular dominance plasticity in the adult brain. The research, led by a collaborative team from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wenzhou Medical University, offers significant insight into how the adult visual system adapts to changes in binocular input, potentially informing future therapies for visual disorders like amblyopia..

发表在《通讯生物学》上的一项新研究揭示了成年大脑中负责视觉主导可塑性的两种不同但相互关联的机制。这项研究由中国科学院生物物理研究所和温州医科大学的合作团队领导，为成人视觉系统如何适应双眼输入的变化提供了重要的见解，可能为弱视等视觉障碍的未来治疗提供信息。

High-Resolution fMRI Sheds Light on Ocular Plasticity

高分辨率功能磁共振成像揭示眼部可塑性

Using ultra-high field 7T functional MRI, the researchers investigated how short-term monocular deprivation affects ocular dominance in adults. Participants underwent just three hours of monocular contrast deprivation, during which one eye was deprived of high-contrast input.

使用超高场7T功能磁共振成像，研究人员调查了短期单眼剥夺如何影响成年人的眼优势。参与者仅接受了三小时的单眼对比度剥夺，期间一只眼睛被剥夺了高对比度输入。

The imaging revealed a notable enhancement in both contrast sensitivity and ocular dominance in the deprived eye. This was associated with increased neural activity in the parvocellular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and the ventrolateral subdivision of the pulvinar, key subcortical structures involved in visual processing..

影像学检查显示，被剥夺视力的眼睛在对比敏感度和眼优势方面均有显著增强。这与外侧膝状体（LGN）的细小细胞层和丘脑枕腹外侧分区的神经活动增加有关，这些是参与视觉处理的关键皮层下结构。

The Non-Deprived Eye Shows Enhanced 3D Perception

非剥夺眼显示出增强的3D感知能力

Conversely, the non-deprived eye demonstrated significant improvements in 3D shape perception, along with heightened activation in stereopsis-related areas of the visual cortex. These changes highlight how both eyes undergo distinct yet coordinated adaptive responses when normal binocular input is disrupted..

相反，未被剥夺视力的眼睛在三维形状感知方面表现出显著改善，同时视觉皮层中与立体视觉相关的区域激活增强。这些变化突显了当正常的双眼输入被破坏时，双眼如何经历不同但协调的适应性反应。

A Reciprocal Pattern of Plasticity

塑性相互模式

One of the most striking findings of the study was the reciprocal relationship between plasticity in the pulvinar and the visual cortex. As activity increased in subcortical regions related to the deprived eye, there was a corresponding enhancement in cortical activity associated with the non-deprived eye.

研究中最引人注目的发现之一是丘脑枕和视觉皮层之间的可塑性存在相互关系。当与被剥夺眼相关的皮下区域活动增加时，与未剥夺眼相关的大脑皮层活动也相应增强。

This pattern suggests two opposing yet complementary mechanisms that work together to maintain binocular balance..

这种模式提示了两种相互对立却又互补的机制，它们共同作用以维持双眼平衡。

Implications for Treating Visual Disorders

治疗视觉障碍的意义

The discovery that the adult brain retains flexible and dual-site ocular dominance plasticity could be a game-changer in the field of ophthalmology. These mechanisms allow for rapid and adaptive visual system responses to short-term imbalances in input, offering promising implications for treating conditions like amblyopia..

成年大脑保留了灵活且双位点的眼优势可塑性，这一发现可能成为眼科领域的游戏规则改变者。这些机制允许视觉系统对短期输入不平衡做出快速和适应性的反应，为治疗弱视等疾病提供了广阔的前景。

By identifying distinct neural responses at both cortical and subcortical levels, this study opens the door to more targeted interventions that harness the brain’s natural plasticity to restore or enhance visual function in adults.

通过识别皮层和皮层下水平的不同神经反应，这项研究为利用大脑的自然可塑性来恢复或增强成年人的视觉功能，开启了更有针对性的干预之门。

Reference:

参考：

Yazhu Qian et al, Two opposing yet complementary ocular dominance plasticities: thalamus strengthens the weak channel while higher cortex listens to the strong signal, Communications Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-08914-y

千亚珠等，两种对立而又互补的眼优势可塑性：丘脑增强弱通道，而高级皮层倾听强信号，《通讯生物学》（2025）。DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-08914-y