Touching the World With a Cane: Cognitive and Neural Processes

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Healthy; Visual Impairment
• Interventions: Behavioral: Behavioral protocol; Device: EEG protocol; Device: fMRI protocol

• Registration Number: NCT05199896
• Lead Sponsor: Hospices Civils de Lyon

Brief Summary

The use of tools is ubiquitous in our lives and allows us to expand the sensorimotor capacities of our body. Much research has been done on the subject in sighted people over the past decades. This work has mainly focused on the motor aspect of using the tool, neglecting the sensory aspect. However, any action involving a tool carries sensory information, for example in the use of the white cane by blind people. 26% (\> 200,000) of blind people in France use a white cane to get around. By sweeping the cane on the ground, they use it as a sensorimotor extension of their body to extract information from the environment in order to locate a pedestrian crossing or possible obstacles. While it is well established that the tools increase the user's motor skills, we have only just begun to clarify how they also function as sensory extensions of the user's body and how this phenomenon is potentially dependent on constant use of the tool to compensate for a missing sense, as is the case with blind people using a cane. The aim of this study is to fill this important gap in our knowledge.

Detailed Description

Not available

Basic Information
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Recruitment & Eligibility
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Study & Design
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Trial Locations

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-01-04
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-01-19
• Study First Posted: 2022-01-20
• Study Start: 2022-04-20
• Status Verified: 2022-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2022-08-30
• Last Update Posted: 2022-08-31
• Primary Completion: 2026-10
• Study Completion: 2026-10

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 300

Inclusion Criteria

• Man or woman, aged 18 to 60 years old
• Give an informed consent by signature
• Be part of the national health security system (registered to the Securité Sociale)
• do not confuse his right and his left

Specific of the non-sighted participants:

• Loss of vision happened at birth or 3-to 5 years later in life
• Must have a visual acuity inferior or equal to 4/10
• Be with a close relation for read information letter and sign the consent form if needed

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Exclusion Criteria

• A person presenting an history of neurological, psychiatric or linguistic problems cannot be admitted

• Assumption of psychotropic drugs

• Pregnancy or breast-feeding woman

• A person under legal tutoring

• A person under care in other medical structure for reasons different from those of this research

• A person under administrative or judiciary contention

• A person who is not eligible to a MRI-exam according to the following criteria cannot be admitted to the experiments including MR acquisitions :

  • Have a neurological, cardiac (battery) or defibrillator pacemaker
  • Have a cardiac prosthesis (valve, stent...) or vascular prosthesis
  • Have intracranial clips or clamps
  • Carry a bypass of the cerebrospinal fluid
  • Having metallic splinters in the eyes
  • Wear metal prostheses (teeth, knees)
  • Wear an infusion pump or system
  • Be claustrophobic or have respiratory problems
  • Have metal tattoos close to the head
  • Have permanent make-up

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Behavioral protocol and EEG protocol	Behavioral protocol	Participants who agree to participate in only one of the experiments (EEG or MRI) will be randomly (by a randomization list) assigned to either the EEG or fMRI type of study in each subgroup. All participants (non-sighted participants and Healthy volunteers) will do the behavioral session and at least one EEG or MRI session depending on randomization.
All protocols (behavioral and EEG and fMRI)	EEG protocol	If participants accepts (non-sighted participants and Healthy volunteers), they will carry out the behavioral protocol and the EEG protocol and fMRI protocol.
All protocols (behavioral and EEG and fMRI)	fMRI protocol	If participants accepts (non-sighted participants and Healthy volunteers), they will carry out the behavioral protocol and the EEG protocol and fMRI protocol.
All protocols (behavioral and EEG and fMRI)	Behavioral protocol	If participants accepts (non-sighted participants and Healthy volunteers), they will carry out the behavioral protocol and the EEG protocol and fMRI protocol.
Behavioral protocol and EEG protocol	EEG protocol	Participants who agree to participate in only one of the experiments (EEG or MRI) will be randomly (by a randomization list) assigned to either the EEG or fMRI type of study in each subgroup. All participants (non-sighted participants and Healthy volunteers) will do the behavioral session and at least one EEG or MRI session depending on randomization.
Behavioral protocol and fMRI protocol	Behavioral protocol	Participants who agree to participate in only one of the experiments (EEG or MRI) will be randomly (by a randomization list) assigned to either the EEG or fMRI type of study in each subgroup. All participants (non-sighted participants and Healthy volunteers) will do the behavioral session and at least one EEG or MRI session depending on randomization.
Behavioral protocol and fMRI protocol	fMRI protocol	Participants who agree to participate in only one of the experiments (EEG or MRI) will be randomly (by a randomization list) assigned to either the EEG or fMRI type of study in each subgroup. All participants (non-sighted participants and Healthy volunteers) will do the behavioral session and at least one EEG or MRI session depending on randomization.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Perceived location	90 minutes	Tactile stimulus will be applied on a tool (a rod). Subject should determine the exact spatial location of the stimulus.; This will be measure at each stimulation.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Brain activity	3 hours	Measuring the brain oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal during the realization of experimental tasks on fMRI

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Equipe IMPACT du CRNL, Bâtiment INSERM; 🇫🇷 Bron, France