Vision Improvement Using Brain Stimulation and Training for Visual Field Loss After Brain Injury

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating visual improvements in people with homonymous hemianopia, a type of vision loss caused by damage to the brains visual pathways. This study explores whether combining transcranial random noise stimulation tRNS with training based on perceptual learning can help improve visual impairments. The study uses a double-blind, randomized crossover design to compare these approaches within the same participants. Participants will attend sessions where they receive either active tRNS or sham stimulation applied to the bilateral human middle temporal complex hMT, paired with a motion discrimination training task. Each session lasts two days and includes up to three 18-minute stimulation periods combined with perceptual learning exercises. The sham stimulation mimics the active treatment with a brief ramp-up period but no ongoing current. The study includes both focal brain damage patients and healthy volunteers as controls. During the study, participants will be assessed for changes in their ability to discriminate motion shortly after treatment sessions, as well as changes in their visual field, visual perception, and quality of life up to six months later. Researchers will monitor adherence to training and collect data on visual improvements and life impacts. The total participation time includes initial visits, intervention sessions, and follow-ups to evaluate lasting effects.

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