Using brief flickering light to boost vision and attention
Official title: Noninvasive modulation of perception and cognition with flicker induced response modulation.
Funded at Rutgers the State Univ of Nj Newark · NIH-11088307 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether short sessions of gentle flickering light can strengthen brain responses to improve sight, attention, and visual memory for people with amblyopia, age‑related decline, or other vision problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers the State Univ of Nj Newark NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2021 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $392,500 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY032744-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11088307 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants include people with amblyopia or reduced visual acuity/contrast sensitivity, older adults with visual or attention complaints, and healthy volunteers interested in improving visual performance.
✕Less likely to help
People whose vision loss is caused by advanced structural eye disease, those with severe neurological impairment, or individuals with photosensitive epilepsy may not benefit and could be excluded for safety.
What this research studies
You would sit for short sessions watching simple flickering screens while researchers record brain activity with EEG and run vision and attention tests. The team will look for lasting boosts in neural signals and then check whether those boosts lead to better visual detection, sharper acuity, improved contrast sensitivity, spatial attention, or stronger visual working memory. The work builds on animal and early human pilot data that showed neural and behavioral gains after repetitive visual stimulation. If changes are seen, they will test how long benefits last and whether effects generalize beyond the exact patterns shown.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could become a simple, noninvasive way to improve vision and visual thinking for people with amblyopia, low vision, or age‑related visual problems.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies and small human pilots have shown that repetitive visual stimulation can boost neural responses and produce short‑term vision gains, but broad generalization beyond specific patterns is limited and this flicker approach is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers the State Univ of Nj Newark
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Krekelberg, Bart — Rutgers the State Univ of Nj Newark
- Study coordinator: Krekelberg, Bart
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Cognition After War: A new {HCAP} for older adults and their children
A study will create a standardized cognitive test battery for older veterans and their midlife children to understand how early-life war exposure might influence dementia risk.
-
Cognition After War: A New, Harmonized Cognitive Check for Older Adults and Their Children
A new program will create a standardized set of cognitive tests and study how early-life war experiences might raise dementia risk in older adults and potentially affect their midlife children.
-
Cognition After War: A New, Harmonized Cognitive Test Series and ADRD Risk Study for Older Adults and Their Children
A study will create a harmonized set of cognitive tests and look at how early-life war exposure may relate to dementia risk in older adults and their midlife children.
-
Cognition after war: a new, harmonized brain-health check for older adults and their children
A new plan will create a harmonized set of cognitive tests and study how early-life war exposure might influence later dementia risk in older adults and their midlife children.
-
ROMA:Cog trial compares single vs multiple arterial grafts for brain health after CABG
A study in adults undergoing heart bypass surgery will test whether one arterial graft or multiple arterial grafts affect brain function and brain injury markers.
-
SynGAP1: New Ways It Shapes Synapses and Thinking
A Johns Hopkins team is studying how a protein called SynGAP1 helps brain connections and thinking, to understand autism-related changes.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.