BlindnessNCT00076700
Enhanced Tactile Memory in the Blind
An observational study of Blindness, run by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study will determine if the brain regions in blind people that would normally be involved in vision are used instead to remember touch. Blind people have an enhanced sense of touch compared to sighted people, and they also perform better on tests for certain kinds of memory. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Blindness
- How many people
- 45 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Jan 2004to Jan 2006
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Early Blind Subjects: Only compliant early blind subjects between the ages of 18 and 80 years who have little to no visual perception due to diseases affecting the peripheral components of the visual system, i.e., blind subjects without any further neurological problems, and with normal MRI brain scans, will be selected.
- Late Blind Subjects: Only compliant late blind subjects who have lost their vision after age 4 years due to diseases affecting the peripheral components of the visual system, i.e., blind subjects without any further neurological problems, and with normal MRI brain scans, will be selected.
- Sighted controls: Only compliant adult healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 80 years with no history of neurological and psychiatric illness who are able to concentrate and to perform simple attention tasks are eligible.
- Blind subjects: Early and late blind subjects (aged 18 to 80) will be included in this protocol.
- Sighted subjects: Healthy sighted (normal or corrected-to normal vision) matched in age, sex, and handedness to the early blind subjects.
Who cannot join
- Exclusion criteria for the study will be ny current medical or surgical condition or psychiatric or neurological illness.
- Furthermore, any individual who is on medication with potential influence on nervous system function, who has a history of surgery with metallic implants or known history of metallic particles in the eye, cardiac pacemaker, intracardiac lines, neural stimulators, cochlear implants, pregnancy, or history of drug abuse will be excluded from the study.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
About this study
This study will determine if the brain regions in blind people that would normally be involved in vision are used instead to remember touch. Blind people have an enhanced sense of touch compared to sighted people, and they also perform better on tests for certain kinds of memory. This study will examine and compare the results of a touch memory test in blind and sighted people to determine what brain areas are involved in responding to touch.
Blind people and sighted volunteers between 18 and 80 years of age who have no psychiatric problems or neurological problems (other than blindness) may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical interview and examination.
Read more
Participants undergo one or both of the following procedures:
Behavioral experiment
Sighted participants are blindfolded during this experiment. Subjects sit comfortably in front of a table. They are presented with a number of surfaces placed on a table one at a time and are given 10 seconds to feel each surface with the index finger on their dominant hand. They must concentrate and memorize the surfaces as best they can. After a 15-minute break, they are again presented with a series of surfaces and given 10 seconds to feel each one. This time, they must say as quickly as possibly whether the surface is one they touched previously or is a new surface.
Functional MRI
MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to obtain images of body organs and tissues. In this study, subjects undergo MRI scanning of the brain while performing the same touch test described above. For the MRI, the subject lies on a table that slides into the scanner. The MRI machine detects change in the brain regions involved in performing the task.
Read the detailed description
In the blind, areas of the brain that would normally respond to visual stimuli instead of process information from other sensory modalities such as the somatosensory and auditory domains. Recent studies have shown that the visual cortex of the blind participates in higher-order processing of auditory information including verb generation and retrieval of verbal memories. Because tactile information plays a similarly crucial role when vision is missing (i.e. to read Braille), it has been suggested that the ability to encode and recall tactile information in the blind is superior to that in the sighted.
OBJECTIVES:
The first objective of this protocol is to determine if tactile memory is superior in early blind subjects relative to that in late blind and sighted control subjects.
The second objective is to determine if the visual cortex of blind people can participate in higher-order processing of tactile information such as tactile encoding recognition.
STUDY POPULATION:
Our experiments will make use of early blind, late blind, and sighted control subjects.
DESIGN:
Experiment 1: We will quantify the ability of our study populations to encode into and retrieve from episodic tactile memory. Subjects will be presented with a series of surfaces that they are to palpate and commit to memory, after which they will rest for ten to fifteen minutes. The old surfaces will then be presented again with a same number of new surfaces randomly interleaved. Subjects are to discriminate old from new surfaces.
Experiment 2: We will identify cortical areas associated with successful tactile memory encoding and retrieval in blind individuals and sighted controls using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Subjects will perform the memory task from Experiment 1 while in the MRI machine.
OUTCOME MEASURES:
Experiment 1: The primary outcome measure will be recognition memory, a corrected measure of the number of old stimuli correctly remembered.
Experiment 2: The primary outcome measure will be the number of voxels significantly activated in primary visual cortex in early blind subjects as compared to late blind subjects and sighted controls.
We expect the magnitude of visual cortex activation in the early blind during a tactile memory task to correlate with superior performance on the task.
- Conditions
- Blindness
- Keywords
- Cross-Modal Plasticity, Functional MRI, Behavior, Memory, Blind, Blindness, Healthy Volunteer, HV
- Medical subject headings
- Blindness, Behavior
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Feb 2004 (estimated)
- Study startJan 2004
- Study completionJan 2006
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (3)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for BlindnessStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Enrolment
- 45 participants
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
- Sponsor type
- US National Institutes of Health
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00076700
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 040110
- Other IDs
- 04-N-0110
- Status last verified
- Jan 2006
- First submitted
- 31 Jan 2004
- Last updated
- 4 Mar 2008
- Results posted
- No
Publications
Amedi A, Malach R, Hendler T, Peled S, Zohary E. Visuo-haptic object-related activation in the ventral visual pathway. Nat Neurosci. 2001 Mar;4(3):324-30. doi: 10.1038/85201.
PubMed 11224551Amedi A, Raz N, Pianka P, Malach R, Zohary E. Early 'visual' cortex activation correlates with superior verbal memory performance in the blind. Nat Neurosci. 2003 Jul;6(7):758-66. doi: 10.1038/nn1072.
PubMed 12808458Bailes SM, Lambert RM. Cognitive aspects of haptic form recognition by blind and sighted subjects. Br J Psychol. 1986 Nov;77 ( Pt 4):451-8. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1986.tb02210.x.
PubMed 3801790
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 Mar 2008. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Enhanced Tactile Memory in the Blind
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00076700
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 040110
- Conditions
- Blindness
- Keywords
- Cross-Modal Plasticity, Functional MRI, Behavior, Memory, Blind, Blindness, Healthy Volunteer, HV
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 45 participants
- Lead sponsor
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)US National Institutes of Health
- Study start
- Jan 2004
- Study completion
- Jan 2006
- First posted
- 2 Feb 2004 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study will determine if the brain regions in blind people that would normally be involved in vision are used instead to remember touch. Blind people have an enhanced sense of touch compared to sighted people, and they also perform better on tests for certain kinds of memory. This study will examine and compare the results of a touch memory test in blind and sighted people to determine what brain areas are involved in responding to touch.
Blind people and sighted volunteers between 18 and 80 years of age who have no psychiatric problems or neurological problems (other than blindness) may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical interview and examination.
Participants undergo one or both of the following procedures:
Behavioral experiment
Sighted participants are blindfolded during this experiment. Subjects sit comfortably in front of a table. They are presented with a number of surfaces placed on a table one at a time and are given 10 seconds to feel each surface with the index finger on their dominant hand. They must concentrate and memorize the surfaces as best they can. After a 15-minute break, they are again presented with a series of surfaces and given 10 seconds to feel each one. This time, they must say as quickly as possibly whether the surface is one they touched previously or is a new surface.
Functional MRI
MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to obtain images of body organs and tissues. In this study, subjects undergo MRI scanning of the brain while performing the same touch test described above. For the MRI, the subject lies on a table that slides into the scanner. The MRI machine detects change in the brain regions involved in performing the task.
Detailed description
In the blind, areas of the brain that would normally respond to visual stimuli instead of process information from other sensory modalities such as the somatosensory and auditory domains. Recent studies have shown that the visual cortex of the blind participates in higher-order processing of auditory information including verb generation and retrieval of verbal memories. Because tactile information plays a similarly crucial role when vision is missing (i.e. to read Braille), it has been suggested that the ability to encode and recall tactile information in the blind is superior to that in the sighted.
OBJECTIVES:
The first objective of this protocol is to determine if tactile memory is superior in early blind subjects relative to that in late blind and sighted control subjects.
The second objective is to determine if the visual cortex of blind people can participate in higher-order processing of tactile information such as tactile encoding recognition.
STUDY POPULATION:
Our experiments will make use of early blind, late blind, and sighted control subjects.
DESIGN:
Experiment 1: We will quantify the ability of our study populations to encode into and retrieve from episodic tactile memory. Subjects will be presented with a series of surfaces that they are to palpate and commit to memory, after which they will rest for ten to fifteen minutes. The old surfaces will then be presented again with a same number of new surfaces randomly interleaved. Subjects are to discriminate old from new surfaces.
Experiment 2: We will identify cortical areas associated with successful tactile memory encoding and retrieval in blind individuals and sighted controls using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Subjects will perform the memory task from Experiment 1 while in the MRI machine.
OUTCOME MEASURES:
Experiment 1: The primary outcome measure will be recognition memory, a corrected measure of the number of old stimuli correctly remembered.
Experiment 2: The primary outcome measure will be the number of voxels significantly activated in primary visual cortex in early blind subjects as compared to late blind subjects and sighted controls.
We expect the magnitude of visual cortex activation in the early blind during a tactile memory task to correlate with superior performance on the task.
Study design
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Early Blind Subjects: Only compliant early blind subjects between the ages of 18 and 80 years who have little to no visual perception due to diseases affecting the peripheral components of the visual system, i.e., blind subjects without any further neurological problems, and with normal MRI brain scans, will be selected.
- Late Blind Subjects: Only compliant late blind subjects who have lost their vision after age 4 years due to diseases affecting the peripheral components of the visual system, i.e., blind subjects without any further neurological problems, and with normal MRI brain scans, will be selected.
- Sighted controls: Only compliant adult healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 80 years with no history of neurological and psychiatric illness who are able to concentrate and to perform simple attention tasks are eligible.
- Blind subjects: Early and late blind subjects (aged 18 to 80) will be included in this protocol.
- Sighted subjects: Healthy sighted (normal or corrected-to normal vision) matched in age, sex, and handedness to the early blind subjects.
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Exclusion criteria for the study will be ny current medical or surgical condition or psychiatric or neurological illness.
- Furthermore, any individual who is on medication with potential influence on nervous system function, who has a history of surgery with metallic implants or known history of metallic particles in the eye, cardiac pacemaker, intracardiac lines, neural stimulators, cochlear implants, pregnancy, or history of drug abuse will be excluded from the study.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Not reported in the source record.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 4 Mar 2008.
- Background: PubMed 11224551Amedi A, Malach R, Hendler T, Peled S, Zohary E. Visuo-haptic object-related activation in the ventral visual pathway. Nat Neurosci. 2001 Mar;4(3):324-30. doi: 10.1038/85201.
- Background: PubMed 12808458Amedi A, Raz N, Pianka P, Malach R, Zohary E. Early 'visual' cortex activation correlates with superior verbal memory performance in the blind. Nat Neurosci. 2003 Jul;6(7):758-66. doi: 10.1038/nn1072.
- Background: PubMed 3801790Bailes SM, Lambert RM. Cognitive aspects of haptic form recognition by blind and sighted subjects. Br J Psychol. 1986 Nov;77 ( Pt 4):451-8. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1986.tb02210.x.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Blindness, run by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Mar 2008. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00076700, which also lists 3 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Mar 2008; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 29 Oct 2026.