Purpose

The VIBRANT (Vision Improvement through Behavioral Rehabilitation And Neuroplasticity Training) study is a prospective, double-blind, crossover design (within-subject) in participants with homonymous hemianopia-a type of visual field loss resulting from damage to the post-chiasmatic visual pathways. It aims to investigate whether transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) combined with perceptual learning-based training has potential for improving visual impairments.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  1. At least 18 years of age. 2. Capable of providing informed consent and complying with study procedures. 3. Unilateral or bilateral focal brain damage causing loss of vision. 4. At least three months post-stroke or traumatic brain injury, or a stable brain tumor within the past year.

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Severe CNS diseases or disorders unrelated to the focal lesion, which could interfere with study results. 2. Severe mental health challenges that could interfere with study results, or current or recent (within the past 6 months) drug or alcohol abuse or addiction as defined by DSM-5. 3. Vision loss resulting from ocular disease or disorder. B. Healthy volunteers (age-matched controls): Inclusion Criteria: 1. At least 18 years of age. 2. Capable of providing informed consent and complying with study procedures. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Any CNS diseases or psychiatric disorders (e.g., epilepsy, schizophrenia) that would interfere with study results. 2. Previous head injury. 3. Present or past (within past 6 months) drug or alcohol abuse or addiction based on DSM-5.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Crossover Assignment
Intervention Model Description
1. Initial 2-Day Sessions: Participants receive either real or sham transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) combined with perceptual learning-based training. 2. Washout Period: A minimum 1-week washout period (typically around 2 weeks) is included to minimize potential carry-over effects. 3. Final 2-Day Sessions: Participants complete the alternate stimulation condition (sham or real) paired with perceptual learning-based training.
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Double (Participant, Investigator)
Masking Description
This study is double-blind, meaning that both the participants and the researchers will be blinded to the treatment conditions.

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
tRNS with perceptual learning-based training
Each 2-day session consists of up to three 18-minute transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) paired with perceptual learning-based training.
  • Device: transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS)
    Stimulation location: bilateral human middle temporal complex (hMT+). Stimulation parameters: 1 mA current intensity, with a frequency range of 101-640 Hz.
  • Behavioral: Perceptual learning-based training
    A motion discrimination task, judging the global direction of moving dot stimuli with two different coherence levels.
Sham Comparator
Sham with perceptual learning-based training
Each 2-day session consists of up to three 18-minute sham stimulation paired with perceptual learning-based training.
  • Device: Sham Stimulation
    Stimulation location: bilateral human middle temporal complex (hMT+). Stimulation parameters: Ramp up stimulation at 1mA with a frequency range of 101-640Hz for the first 30 seconds followed by no current for the remainder of the duration.
  • Behavioral: Perceptual learning-based training
    A motion discrimination task, judging the global direction of moving dot stimuli with two different coherence levels.

Recruiting Locations

Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, District of Columbia 20057
Contact:
Visual Perception and Plasticity Lab
202-784-9949
vpplab@georgetown.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Georgetown University

Study Contact

Tina Liu, PhD
2027849920
tina.liu@georgetown.edu

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.