ABOUT ME:

I am a neurobiologist interested in the visual system neuroplasticity processes occurring during the early development and upon injury. From the transdisciplinary perspective I am interested in the cultural and environmental impact on visual perception and in the comparative intra-species behavioral studies. At present I am a co-promotor at the PhD project at the Warsaw University exploring the impact of enrichment on welfare of corvids rehabilitated in bird shelters.

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

My research focuses on the neuroplasticity mechanisms that shape the visual system during early development and following injury. In a clinical context, I currently investigate whether cortical areas normally driven by central retinal input can reallocate their functional properties to regions representing the peripheral retina. The project examines central and peripheral visual processing using a custom-designed visual acuity assessment, the “shape-from-motion” test, combined with magnetic resonance imaging, including functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of white matter structure. The current cohort includes patients with juvenile photoreceptor loss, recruited and diagnosed at one of Poland’s leading ophthalmology centers, Samodzielny Publiczny Kliniczny Szpital Okulistyczny. We are now preparing to expand the study to include individuals with age-related photoreceptor degeneration, enabling a comprehensive investigation of visual system plasticity across the lifespan.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

1: Kozak A, Wieteska M, Ninghetto M, Szulborski K, Gałecki T, Szaflik J, Burnat K. Motion-Based Acuity Task: Full Visual Field Measurement of Shape and Motion Perception. Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2021 Jan 6;10(1):9. doi: 10.1167/tvst.10.1.9. PMID: 33505776; PMCID: PMC7794260.

2: Burnat K, Hu TT, Kossut M, Eysel UT, Arckens L. Plasticity Beyond V1: Reinforcement of Motion Perception upon Binocular Central Retinal Lesions in Adulthood. J Neurosci. 2017 Sep 13;37(37):8989-8999. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1231-17.2017. Epub 2017 Aug 16. PMID: 28821647; PMCID: PMC6596799.

3: Burnat K. Are visual peripheries forever young? Neural Plast. 2015;2015:307929. doi: 10.1155/2015/307929. Epub 2015 Apr 6. PMID: 25945262; PMCID: PMC4402573.

FUNDING:

National Science Centre, NATO post-doc scholarship