Visual ImpairmentTOOL_TOUCHNCT05199896
Touching the World With a Cane: Cognitive and Neural Processes
A study testing Behavioral protocol, EEG protocol and fMRI protocol in people with Visual Impairment and Healthy, run by Hospices Civils de Lyon at 1 site in France.
Trial 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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Visual Impairment, Healthy
- What is being tested?
- Behavioral protocol, EEG protocol and fMRI protocol
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine, Medical device, Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 300 participants
- Where
- 1 siteFrance
- Study dates
- 20 Apr 2022to Oct 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 18 to 60 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- 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 minimum 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
Who cannot join
- 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
Show all 17Show fewer
- 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
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Cécile FABIO contact
France1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Equipe IMPACT du CRNL, Bâtiment INSERM
Bron, 69676
Alessandro FARNE, Dr, 04 72 91 34 17 ext. +33, alessandro.farne@inserm.fr
Cécile FABIO, cecile.fabio@inserm.fr
About this study
Official title: Touching the World With a (Blind) Cane: Cognitive and Neural Processes
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.
- Conditions
- Visual Impairment, Healthy
- Being tested
- Behavioral protocol, EEG protocol, fMRI protocol
- Keywords
- Blind/Non-sighted, Healthy subject, fMRI, EEG
- Medical subject headings
- Vision Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Behavioral protocolBehavioural
A touch sensitive computer screen either displaying a downscaled (45cm long) image of the rod (for the sighted), or supporting a same sized wooden rod (for the blind), will be placed on the table in front of the participant to record their localization performance. They will be instructed to use their left index fingertip to indicate on the image of the screen (for sighted) or on the wooden rod (for the blind) the position where they have felt the touch provided to the 90 cm long they held in their right dominant hand. Participants will wear a headset playing white noise to prevent any auditory localization cues when the long rod will be touched. The rod will be touched by a computer controlled solenoid. Thus, participants will respond with a hand gesture on the image or rod and will be asked to validate the position by pressing a foot-pedal with their left foot.
EEG protocolDevice
The EEG protocol will be similar as the behavioral one described above, with the distinction of taking place in two separate sessions: one where the rod are touched, and one where their hand is touched. The participant will hold a rod in each hand and he will have to indicate on which rod he felt the touch.
Additionally electrophysiological responses will be continuously recorded using a 65 channel ActiCap system (Brain Products).
fMRI protocolDevice
The same behavioral task and procedures of the behavioral protocol described above will be applied, adapted to take into account the constraints posed by the magnetic environment of the MR scanner. The participant will be placed on the scanner bed and provided with earphones that will both protect against the noise of the machine (80dB) and ensure a continuous communication with the participant.
During the fMRI sessions, the participant will solve the same rod localization behavioral task while we will record brain activations by measuring the brain oxygen level dependent signal via Echo Planar Imaging sequences. We will use an MRI compatible tactile stimulator to touch the hand-held rod and participants location judgement will be recorded by using an MRI-compatible tablet, positioned on their abdomen, where the participant will have to indicate the judged position.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| All protocols (behavioral and EEG and fMRI) | Experimental | If participants accepts (non-sighted participants and Healthy volunteers), they will carry out the behavioral protocol and the EEG protocol and fMRI protocol. Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral protocol; Device: EEG protocol; Device: fMRI protocol |
| Behavioral protocol and EEG protocol | Experimental | Participants who agree to participate in only one of the experiments (EEG or MRI) will be 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. Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral protocol; Device: EEG protocol |
| Behavioral protocol and fMRI protocol | Experimental | Participants who agree to participate in only one of the experiments (EEG or MRI) will be 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. Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral protocol; Device: fMRI protocol |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Perceived location
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.
Measured: 90 minutes
Secondary outcomes (2)
Brain activity
Brain oscillatory activity and the somatosensory evoked potentials during the realization of experimental tasks on EEG.
Two sessions of about 3 hours are necessary for the EEG acquisition.
Measured: 6 hours
Brain activity
Measuring the brain oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal during the realization of experimental tasks on fMRI
Measured: 3 hours
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted20 Jan 2022
- Study start20 Apr 2022
- Primary completionOct 2028 (estimated)
- Study completionOct 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Visual ImpairmentStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Hospices Civils de LyonThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Hospices Civils de Lyon
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05199896
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 69HCL21_0882
- Acronym
- TOOL_TOUCH
- Status last verified
- Mar 2026
- First submitted
- 4 Jan 2022
- Last updated
- 24 Mar 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 24 Mar 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Touching the World With a (Blind) Cane: Cognitive and Neural Processes
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05199896
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- TOOL_TOUCH / 69HCL21_0882
- Conditions
- Visual Impairment, Healthy
- Keywords
- Blind/Non-sighted, Healthy subject, fMRI, EEG
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Hospices Civils de LyonUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 20 Apr 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Oct 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Oct 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 20 Jan 2022 (actual)
- 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.
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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| All protocols (behavioral and EEG and fMRI) | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral protocol, Device: EEG protocol, Device: fMRI protocolIf 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 | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral protocol, Device: EEG protocolParticipants who agree to participate in only one of the experiments (EEG or MRI) will be 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. |
| Behavioral protocol and fMRI protocol | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral protocol, Device: fMRI protocolParticipants who agree to participate in only one of the experiments (EEG or MRI) will be 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. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (8 listed)
- 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
- Loss of vision happened at birth or 3-to 5 years later minimum in life
Key exclusion criteria (17 listed)
- 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
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral protocolA touch sensitive computer screen either displaying a downscaled (45cm long) image of the rod (for the sighted), or supporting a same sized wooden rod (for the blind), will be placed on the table in front of the participant to record their localization performance. They will be instructed to use their left index fingertip to indicate on the image of the screen (for sighted) or on the wooden rod (for the blind) the position where they have felt the touch provided to the 90 cm long they held in their right dominant hand. Participants will wear a headset playing white noise to prevent any auditory localization cues when the long rod will be touched. The rod will be touched by a computer controlled solenoid. Thus, participants will respond with a hand gesture on the image or rod and will be asked to validate the position by pressing a foot-pedal with their left foot. | Behavioural | All protocols (behavioral and EEG and fMRI), Behavioral protocol and EEG protocol, Behavioral protocol and fMRI protocol |
| EEG protocolThe EEG protocol will be similar as the behavioral one described above, with the distinction of taking place in two separate sessions: one where the rod are touched, and one where their hand is touched. The participant will hold a rod in each hand and he will have to indicate on which rod he felt the touch. Additionally electrophysiological responses will be continuously recorded using a 65 channel ActiCap system (Brain Products). | Device | All protocols (behavioral and EEG and fMRI), Behavioral protocol and EEG protocol |
| fMRI protocolThe same behavioral task and procedures of the behavioral protocol described above will be applied, adapted to take into account the constraints posed by the magnetic environment of the MR scanner. The participant will be placed on the scanner bed and provided with earphones that will both protect against the noise of the machine (80dB) and ensure a continuous communication with the participant. During the fMRI sessions, the participant will solve the same rod localization behavioral task while we will record brain activations by measuring the brain oxygen level dependent signal via Echo Planar Imaging sequences. We will use an MRI compatible tactile stimulator to touch the hand-held rod and participants location judgement will be recorded by using an MRI-compatible tablet, positioned on their abdomen, where the participant will have to indicate the judged position. | Device | All protocols (behavioral and EEG and fMRI), Behavioral protocol and fMRI protocol |
Primary outcome
Perceived location
Time frame: 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.
2 secondary outcomes
Brain activity
Time frame: 6 hours
Brain activity
Time frame: 3 hours
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 24 Mar 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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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.
Cécile FABIO contact
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Behavioral protocol, EEG protocol and fMRI protocol in people with Visual Impairment and Healthy, run by Hospices Civils de Lyon at 1 site in France.
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 8 inclusion and 17 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Mar 2026. 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 France. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Alessandro FARNE, Dr (04 72 91 34 17 ext. +33, alessandro.farne@inserm.fr), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Perceived location (time frame: 90 minutes). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 24 Mar 2026.