Development of rehabilitation methods for visual field defects and visual/visuospatial attention disorders

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K19472
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities
• Principal Investigator: Ohmatsu Satoko 国立障害者リハビリテーションセンター(研究所), 病院 リハビリテーション部(研究所併任), 作業療法士 (10824849)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 視野障害 / 半側空間無視 / 経頭蓋直流電気刺激

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Brain injury can cause visual field and higher visual problems. The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of a rehabilitation intervention using a combination of transcranial direct current electrical stimulation and visual stimulation to increase neural connections in these pathways in patients with partial residual damage after evaluation using gaze measurement and brain MRI images, in addition to conventional visual tests. Behavioral tests and MRI including eye-gaze measurement and response tasks were measured in 15 patients with visual field disorder, and short-term intensive rehabilitation was conducted for 7 of them. The degree of expansion of the visual field range varied widely, but those who were spared from primary visual cortex and corpus callosum damage showed relatively good change.

Free Research Field

リハビリテーション

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

脳損傷後の視野障害は健康関連の生活の質の低下や心理的苦痛（Gall et al., 2010 & 2012）を引き起こすだけでなく、歩行や運転、読書といった日常生活にも悪影響を及ぼす（Urbanski et al., 2014）。今回の結果は視覚障害を有する方に対するリハビリテーションの適応と限界を考えるための要素の1つになり得る。視覚障害に対する介入手法が構築できれば、生活および復職支援（医療的・社会的支援）の一環として貢献できる可能性がある。