Statistical Learning As a Novel Intervention for Cortical Blindness

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · Aug 27, 2024

Keywords

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Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• • Cortically Blind participants
• Inclusion criteria:
• • Between 21 and 75 years of age
• • Residents of the United States or Canada
• • Have successfully completed previous enrollment in Dr. Huxlin study (IRB #5966 or #75)
• • Exhibit unilateral stroke or stroke-like damage to primary visual cortex or its immediate afferent white matter sustained within the specified age range of 21 - 75 years (verified by MRI and/or CT scans)
• • Reliable visual field defects in both eyes (homonymous defects) as measured by Humphrey visual fields. This deficit must be large enough to enclose a 5-deg diameter visual stimulus.
• • Able to fixate on visual targets reliably for 1000ms within 1-deg of visual angle.
• • Willing, able, and competent to provide their own informed consent
• • Normal cognitive abilities and be able to understand written and oral instructions in English
• Exclusion criteria:
• • Past or present ocular disease interfering with visual acuity
• • Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) worse than 20/40 in either eye
• • Sustained documented or suspected damage to the dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
• • Presence of diffuse whole brain degenerative processes
• • History of traumatic brain injury
• • Any other brain damage deemed by study staff to potentially interfere with training ability or outcome measures
• • Documented history of drug/alcohol abuse
• • Currently taking neuroactive medications which would impact training, as determined by PI
• • Cognitive or seizure disorders
• • One-sided attentional neglect
• • Those who lack the competence or are otherwise unable to perform the visual training exercises as directed.
• • Control participants
• Inclusion criteria:
• • Between 21 and 75 years of age
• • No history of neurological disorder.
• • Competent and responsible, as determined by the screening interview
• Exclusion criteria:
• • Any damage to the visual system
• • Those who are suffering from an active disease process involving their nervous system.
• • Presence of cognitive or seizure disorders
• • Best corrected visual acuity worse than 20/40 in either eye
• • Presence of visual field loss from ocular disease or disorder