Rehabilitating Visual Deficits Caused by Stroke

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

This research aims to understand the efficacy of a visual training task to improve visual loss after stroke, also known as hemianopia. The investigators aim to understand whether training can improve vision and which areas or pathways in the brain are responsible for this improvement.

Clinical Trial Description

Damage to the primary visual cortex (V1) due to stroke usually results in loss of visual function in half of the visual world, this is known as hemianopia. This visual loss can negatively affect quality of life, as most stroke survivors are no longer permitted to drive and have difficulties with navigation and socialising. There are currently limited treatment options, although recent evidence suggests that visual training can be effective in improving visual function (Huxlin et al, 2009; Cavanaugh & Huxlin, 2017). The aim of this research is to determine the capacity for visual rehabilitation after stroke using visual training and to understand the underlying brain mechanisms that might drive these improvements. This study will help the investigators to understand the brain mechanisms involved in visual rehabilitation and may allow the investigators to predict those most likely to benefit from visual rehabilitation in the future. Twenty stroke survivors with hemi- or quadrantanopia will complete a 6-month visual motion discrimination training programme at home. Each participant will have three study visits; at baseline, 6-months and 9-months. At each visit the investigators will take measures of 1) visual fields 2) detailed tests of visual function 3) quality of life and 4) MRI scans of brain structure, function and neurochemistry. Between the baseline (0 month) and 6-month post-training session, participants will complete visual training at home. Between the 6-month post-training session and 9-month follow up, participants will not complete visual training at home. This study will therefore allow the investigators to determine whether rehabilitation improves conscious visual perception and quality of life as well as providing understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie this improvement. The investigators will also determine whether improvements or neural changes persist after 3-months without training. ;

Study Design

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

Clinical Trial Details

NCT number	NCT04878861
Study type	Interventional
Source	University of Oxford
Contact	Hannah Willis, MPsych
Phone	01865 611458
Email	hannah.willis@ndcn.ox.ac.uk
Status	Recruiting
Phase	N/A
Start date	December 13, 2020
Completion date	October 16, 2024

View Details

See also
Status	Clinical Trial	Phase
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Active, not recruiting	`NCT05098236` - Effect of Visual Retraining on Visual Loss Following Visual Cortical Damage	N/A
Recruiting	`NCT04963075` - Multisensory Rehabilitation of Hemianopia	N/A
Not yet recruiting	`NCT06352086` - Understanding Visual Processing After Occipital Stroke
Recruiting	`NCT06047717` - Vision Loss Impact on Navigation in Virtual Reality	N/A
Completed	`NCT00921427` - The Use of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS) to Enhance the Rehabilitative Effect of Vision Restoration Therapy	Phase 0
Active, not recruiting	`NCT06121219` - Effect of Visual Retraining After Stroke	N/A
Recruiting	`NCT03475173` - New Non-invasive Modalities for Assessing Retinal Structure and Function	N/A
Completed	`NCT02703870` - Combined tDCS and Vision Restoration Training in Post-acute Stroke: an Exploratory Efficacy and Safety Study	Phase 1/Phase 2
Completed	`NCT03350919` - Visual Restoration for Hemianopia	N/A
Completed	`NCT05065268` - Visual Rehabilitation in Children With Homonymous Hemianopia: a Pilot Study on Virtual-reality Stimulation	N/A
Recruiting	`NCT04798924` - Visual Rehabilitation After Occipital Stroke	N/A
Completed	`NCT03057496` - Collision Warning Device for Blind and Visually Impaired	N/A
Completed	`NCT02935413` - Combined tDCS and Vision Restoration Training in Subacute Stroke Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study	Phase 1/Phase 2
Completed	`NCT04043429` - Restoration vs. Compensation in Neurovisual Rehabilitation of Visual Field Defects	Phase 2
Completed	`NCT06341777` - Multisensory Telerehabilitation for Visual Field Defects	N/A

Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.

Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.