One of the most challenging tasks for blind and visually impaired individuals is navigation through a complex environment. The goal of the present multidisciplinary study is to increase spatial-cognition abilities in people who are blind or visually impaired through training with the previously-developed Cognitive-Kinesthetic Rehabilitation Training to improve navigation, and to investigate the resultant neuroplastic brain reorganization through multimodal brain imaging. In accordance with National Eye Institute (NEI) strategic goals, this multidisciplinary project will promote the development of well-informed new approaches to navigational rehabilitation, memory enhancement and cross-modal brain plasticity to benefit 'cutting edge' fields of mobile assistive technologies, vision restoration and memory facilitation for the aging brain.
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Change in blind map drawing speed from pre-training (Pre) to immediate post-training (Post1) timepoints
Timeframe: 6-10 days
Maintenance of change in blind map drawing speed from Post1 to extended post-training (Post2) timepoints
Timeframe: 3-6 months
Change in blind map drawing errors from Pre to Post1 timepoints
Timeframe: 6-10 days
Maintenance of change in blind map drawing errors from Post1 to Post2 timepoints
Timeframe: 3-6 months
Change in total navigation time during blind macro-scale navigation of the shortest path from Pre to Post1 timepoints
Timeframe: 6-10 days
Maintenance of change in number of total navigation time during blind navigation of the shortest path at macro-scale from Post1 to Post2 timepoints
Timeframe: 3-6 months
Change in total number of contact errors during blind macro-scale navigation from Pre to Post1 timepoints
Timeframe: 6-10 days
Maintenance of change in total number of contact errors during blind macro-scale navigation from Post1 to Post2 timepoints
Timeframe: 3-6 months
Change in functional MRI (fMRI) activation in the cortical navigation network
Timeframe: 6-10 days
Maintenance of change in fMRI activation in the cortical navigation network
Timeframe: 3-6 months
Change in functional MRI (fMRI) activation in the spatial working memory network
Timeframe: 6-10 days
Maintenance of change in fMRI activation in the spatial working memory network
Timeframe: 3-6 months
Change in Granger causal connectivity (GCC) density in the cortical navigation network
Timeframe: 6-10 days
Maintenance of change in GCC density in the cortical navigation network
Timeframe: 3-6 months