# Spatial Frequency Dependent Deficits in Anisometropic Amblyopia

> **NIH NIH K23** · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · 2022 · $141,589

## Abstract

Two primary features of visual coding—spatial frequency and contrast perception—are abnormal in
neurophysiological and behavioral measures of amblyopia. Mounting evidence indicates that interocular
inhibition may drive amblyopic deficits, and this has led to the employment of varying gain control models to
explain abnormal binocular interaction amblyopia. Psychophysical measures of contrast perception are
commonly used to validate these models; however, a single gain control model has been unsuccessful in
explaining amblyopic performance. This 5-year mentored training award seeks to address this problem by using
novel neuroimaging and visual psychophysics to investigate whether spatial frequency and contrast deficits in
anisometropic amblyopia are indeed secondary to interocular inhibition. Each aim of the study corresponds to
specific training goals, which will map to competency in four main areas: (1) fMRI experimental design and
model-based analyses; (2) computational modeling of both neuroimaging and psychophysical data; (3) clinical
research design incorporating the use of fMRI, psychophysics, and computational modeling in clinical
populations; and (4) career development. Such training will transform the applicant into an independent
translational clinical scientist who can utilize both neuroimaging and psychophysics to examine underlying
deficits in pediatric vision disorders. Training will be implemented at the reputable environments of Boston
Children’s Hospital, Boston University, and Harvard Medical School with the expert guidance of Dr. Sam Ling
(primary mentor), Dr. David Hunter (co-mentor), and Dr. MiYoung (advisor). Specifically, the mentor team will
train the applicant to design, implement, and analyze measures of population spatial frequency tuning and
contrast response in participants with anisometropic amblyopia. This work will enhance our understanding of
interocular inhibition and spatial frequency and contrast-dependent deficits in amblyopia. Our data will guide and
constrain models of binocular interaction in amblyopia. Furthermore, this additional neural characterization of
the response of the amblyopic visual system to unbalanced dichoptic stimuli will explain variability in the efficacy
of alternative therapies and identify new treatments that specifically target deficits in spatial frequency and
contrast coding of the amblyopic eye. Through this training, the candidate will gain considerable mentorship and
training in advanced neuroimaging techniques to quantify binocular visual function in amblyopia, providing a
foundation to build a career as an independent clinician-scientist.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10507198
- **Project number:** 1K23EY034212-01
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Emily Wiecek
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $141,589
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10507198

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10507198, Spatial Frequency Dependent Deficits in Anisometropic Amblyopia (1K23EY034212-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10507198. Licensed CC0.

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