RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Ameliorating Hemianopia with Multisensory Training
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 1018
OP 1026
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0962-22.2022
VO 43
IS 6
A1 Benjamin A. Rowland
A1 Cheryl D. Bushnell
A1 Pamela W. Duncan
A1 Barry E. Stein
YR 2023
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/43/6/1018.abstract
AB 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 multisensory architecture of the brain, may be effective in restoring visual sensitivity in hemianopia. It was tested in two male human patients who were hemianopic for at least 8 months following a stroke. The patients were repeatedly exposed to congruent visual-auditory stimuli within their blinded hemifield during 2 h 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 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 STATEMENT 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.