VRT shown to improve brain activity in brain injured patients
Columbia University Medical Center researchers have demonstrated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), that brain activity was increased in stroke and traumatic brain injury survivors who underwent Vision Restoration Therapy (VRT), a rehabilitative treatment that helps these patients recover lost vision. Researchers examined the fMRIs of six patients aged 35-77 with vision loss on the same side of both eyes (called homonymous hemianopia) caused by stroke or traumatic brain injury. The therapy is based on visual stimulation, which the patient performs daily at home on a dedicated computer. The fMRI data showed increased activity in visual processing areas of the brain as patients learned to detect stimuli in between the seeing and non-seeing fields. This improved activity was identified one month after beginning treatment and suggests that the brain is responding accordingly.
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