Ameliorating Hemianopia with Multisensory Training

Abstract

Hemianopia (unilateral blindness), a common consequence of stroke and trauma to visual cortex, is a debilitating disorder for which there are few treatments. Research in an animal model has suggested that visual-auditory stimulation therapy, which exploits the brain’s multisensory architecture, may be effective in restoring visual sensitivity in hemianopia. It was tested in two male human patients that were hemianopic for at least eight months following a stroke. The patients were repeatedly exposed to congruent visual-auditory stimuli within their blinded hemifield during two-hour sessions over several weeks. The results were dramatic. Both recovered the ability to detect and describe visual stimuli throughout their formerly blind field within a few weeks. They could also localize these stimuli, identify some of their features, and could perceive multiple visual stimuli simultaneously in both fields. These results indicate that the multisensory therapy is a rapid and effective method for restoring visual function in hemianopia.

SIGNIFICANCE:

Hemianopia (blindness on one side of space) is widely considered to be a permanent disorder. Here we show that a simple multisensory training paradigm can ameliorate this disorder in human patients.