Hemianopia rehabilitation using VR
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Examination of brain plasticity through structural and functional MRI during audio-visual training in hemianopia patients with Virtual Reality.
IRAS ID
321304
Contact name
Georg Meyer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN69117496
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 6 days
Research summary
The study was designed to present visual stimulus sequences that replicate a conventional visual search scanning with additional audio cues to simulate real-life environments and turn the task into a ‘game’ where patients are awarded performance-related points.
Following on from an existing baseline research programme with healthy participants we will recruit 30 participants and measure outcomes (objective and subjective), functional and structural brain changes (using fMRI, DTI, and structural imaging).Lay summary of results: After a stroke, some people develop homonymous hemianopia, which means they lose vision on the same side in both eyes. This can make it harder to notice things on one side, find objects, and move safely in daily life.
In this study, 15 stroke survivors with homonymous hemianopia completed 6 weeks of audiovisual training using virtual reality (VR). The training combined visual targets with sound cues, for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. We measured performance before and after training, and we also took brain scans to see whether the training was linked to changes in brain structure and brain communication.
After training, participants responded faster on reaction-time tasks. Brain scans suggested changes in areas and pathways that were not directly damaged by the stroke. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a type of MRI scan that provides information about the structure of white matter, we found patterns consistent with improvement in the organisation of some surviving pathways, particularly in the back of the brain (visual regions) and deeper relay areas. We also examined functional connectivity (FC), which describes how strongly different brain regions work together over time. The results showed stronger communication between visual brain areas and regions involved in processing sound and visual information.
Overall, the findings suggest that immersive audiovisual VR training may help stroke survivors with visual field loss by improving speed of responses and engaging remaining brain networks. Although these results are promising, more research is needed to confirm exactly how the brain changes relate to everyday improvements and to test the approach in larger groups.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
23/WS/0026
Date of REC Opinion
20 Mar 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion