荷兰神经科学研究所Pieter R. Roelfsema、Xing Chen等研究人员合作在猴子视皮层中通过神经假体实现形状感知。这一研究成果于2020年12月4日发表在国际学术期刊《科学》上。

研究人员在猴子视觉皮层的V1和V4区域植入了一个1024通道的假体，并使用电刺激来激发数百个电极上的光点（称为光幻视）的感知，其位置与受刺激的神经元的感受野相吻合。在V4区域中的活动预测了在V1中引起的光幻视感知。

研究人员同时刺激了多个电极，从而产生由许多光幻视组成的可见图案。猴子能够立即将它们识别为简单的形状、动作或字母。这些结果证明了电刺激在盲人中恢复功能性视力的潜力。

据了解，失明影响着全世界4000万人。神经假体未来有望恢复盲人的视力。

附：英文原文

Title: Shape perception via a high-channel-count neuroprosthesis in monkey visual cortex

Author: Xing Chen, Feng Wang, Eduardo Fernandez, Pieter R. Roelfsema

Issue&Volume: 2020/12/04

Abstract: Blindness affects 40 million people across the world. A neuroprosthesis could one day restore functional vision in the blind. We implanted a 1024-channel prosthesis in areas V1 and V4 of the visual cortex of monkeys and used electrical stimulation to elicit percepts of dots of light (called phosphenes) on hundreds of electrodes, the locations of which matched the receptive fields of the stimulated neurons. Activity in area V4 predicted phosphene percepts that were elicited in V1. We simultaneously stimulated multiple electrodes to impose visible patterns composed of a number of phosphenes. The monkeys immediately recognized them as simple shapes, motions, or letters. These results demonstrate the potential of electrical stimulation to restore functional, life-enhancing vision in the blind.

DOI: 10.1126/science.abd7435

Source: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6521/1191