Using matched sound-and-vision training to help people with half-field blindness (hemianopia)
Mechanisms of multisensory rehabilitation in a primate model of hemianopia
This project tests whether repeatedly pairing sounds with visual cues in the blind half of the visual field can help people who lost half their sight from brain injury regain awareness and simple vision there.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11307033 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are creating a primate (monkey) model that mimics hemianopia from visual cortex damage so they can study how the brain relearns sight. The team repeatedly presents visual and auditory cues together in the blinded half of the field to drive plasticity in brain circuits that process both senses. They will measure whether animals recover the ability to detect, localize, and discriminate visual patterns and will study the neural changes that accompany any recovery. Findings will guide whether and how this multisensory training could be adapted for people with similar vision loss.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with hemianopia — loss of vision in one half of the visual field caused by stroke or traumatic brain injury — would be the eventual candidates for this rehabilitation approach.
Not a fit: People whose vision loss is due to eye or optic nerve disease (rather than cortical brain injury), those with complete bilateral blindness, or those with unstable medical conditions are unlikely to benefit from this cortical multisensory approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could restore awareness and basic visual function in the blind half of the visual field and improve everyday navigation and safety for people with hemianopia.
How similar studies have performed: Related multisensory training restored visual abilities in hemianopic cats and two human case reports showed regained awareness, but broader recovery in humans remains unproven.
Where this research is happening
Winston-Salem, United States
- Wake Forest University Health Sciences — Winston-Salem, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stanford, Terrence R — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Stanford, Terrence R
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 below.