Development and application of electroretinographic and psychophysical methods for...
| Grant number: | 12/51299-3 |
| Support type: | Regular Research Grants |
| Duration: | February 01, 2013 - January 31, 2015 |
| Field of knowledge: | Humanities - Psychology |
| Cooperation agreement: | BAYLAT/StMBW - Bavarian Academic Center for Latin America and Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts |
| Principal Investigator: | Dora Selma Fix Ventura |
| Grantee: | Dora Selma Fix Ventura |
| Principal investigator abroad: | Jan Kremers |
| Institution abroad: | Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany |
| Home Institution: | Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus and Duchenne muscular dystrophy are diseases that affect many organ systems in the body, including the retina. The objective of the proposed project is to obtain a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms in the human retina associated with these two important diseases. Our approach will be to use modern electrophysiological and psychophysical techniques that selectively reflect the activity of post-receptoral retinal mechanisms. The techniques are designed to specifically tap post-receptoral mechanisms associated with distinct retino-geniculate pathways that subserve different sensory-perceptual features: spatiotemporal luminance (achromatic) and chromatic vision. The results of the project will quantify the alterations caused by these diseases in these visual pathways, clarify the nature and locus of alterations in the underlying retinal neural substrate and bring the data in a context that is relevant for visual perception. (AU)