ClinicalTrials.gg
Enrolling by invitationNCT06364605Updated Apr 15, 2024

MySpace: the Role of Vision in Representing Space

An interventional study of Rehabilitation with the iReach novel multisensory medical device in Blindness and Visual Impairment, sponsored by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in Italy. Open to participants aged 3 Months and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-04-15.

Sponsored by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 2 years 10 months after the study started (first participant enrolled May 2021, registered Mar 2024).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
720
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
3 Months and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

My Space aims to identify the ontogenesis of spatial representation through cross-sectional and longitudinal studies in infants, children, and adolescents with typical and atypical development (visual impairments). The results will serve for the design and development of a novel multisensory device for sensorimotor rehabilitation in blind children from the early stages of life.

Read the detailed description

MySpace is an interventional neuropsychology study purely for scientific purposes, with no diagnostic or therapeutic aims. The project aims to define the role of vision in generating uni- and multi-sensory spatial representations (audio/tactile), essential for proper interaction with the surrounding environment. The project will focus on studying spatial deficits and reorganization mechanisms present in the absence of vision from the early years of development. The results will allow drawing overall conclusions on how we perceive the world and develop rehabilitative protocols to improve the quality of life of individuals with visual sensory disabilities. In detail, the project is divided into 4 macro-objectives:

  • Study of the role of vision in the development of uni-sensory spatial representations (Phase 1) through experimental procedures at the behavioral and cortical levels. This phase aims to understand the specific temporal windows within which auditory and tactile spatial representations develop in visually impaired children. This phase involves infants and children in an age range from 3 months to 16 years old, with typical and atypical development (visual disabilities), as well as sighted adults and those with visual disabilities. This phase includes the use of behavioral, kinematic, and neurophysiological techniques, employing EEG systems, to provide an assessment of a participant's response to sensory stimuli. Number of participants: 50 sighted adults, 20 blind adults, 60 blind children, 100 sighted children;
  • Role of vision in the development of multi-sensory spatial representations (Phase 2) The objective of Phase 2 is to define, the role of vision in the generation of audio-tactile multi-sensory representations. In this phase, both infants and children ranging from 3 months to 16 years old, with and without visual disabilities, as well as adults with and without visual disabilities, will participate. In Phase 2, experiments will be conducted using behavioral, psychophysical, and motion tracking methods. The neurophysiological architecture associated with multi-sensory integration will be studied using EEG. Number of participants: 80 sighted adults, 20 blind adults, 60 blind children, 120 sighted children;
  • Neuro-imaging of spatial representation (Phase 3) Phase 3 will study the mechanisms of cortical reorganization following the absence of vision in the early years of life, particularly those concerning the visual cortex responsible for processing spatial information. This phase involves a single setup in which both adults and children ranging from 3 months to 16 years old take part. This phase hypothesizes that structural changes resulting from a visual disability may emerge during the early years of life when spatial perceptual abilities develop and cortical reorganization begins. In this phase, each participant will undergo structural MRI recording to investigate the structural changes observed during growth in both typical cases and cases of visual disability. Number of participants: 50 sighted adults, 20 blind adults, 30 blind children, 30 sighted children;
  • Multi-sensory training (Phase 4) The objective of Phase 4 is the development and evaluation of multi-sensory training aimed at helping visually impaired children improve their spatial representation ability and overcome limitations due to the absence of vision. This phase involves infants with both typical and atypical development (i.e., visual disabilities) aged between 3 and 36 months of life. Experimental sessions will be conducted partly at home and partly in clinical centers participating in the project. Non-invasive and painless auditory and tactile stimuli will be employed, which may come from devices applied to the child's body or from sound-producing objects placed in the environment. For data analysis, video recordings will be carried out, and motion-tracking procedures will be employed. To assess the effectiveness of the training, children will be retested approximately 4 months after the end of the training, following the procedures outlined in Phases 1 and 2. These evaluative sessions will help understand if the effects of rehabilitation persist over time. Additionally, during the initial and final phases of the training, and in the follow-up, EEG techniques will be used to assess any changes in cortical activation due to the training. Number of participants:55 blind children, 55 sighted children.

The preliminary data will utilize the Power Analysis method to calculate the minimum sample size required to achieve a correct effect size for a given dimension. The data will be analyzed using both parametric and non-parametric tests, and differences between groups will be assessed with t-tests, ANOVA, TANCOVA, and linear mixed models where appropriate. An appropriate post-hoc test will be conducted if significance is found. The significance level will be considered at p\<0.05. Where necessary, parametric techniques will be replaced by non-parametric equivalents. The standard software used will include: Matlab, R, Origin, Statistica, and SPSS, recognized in the research field. For the analysis of electroencephalographic data, EEGlab and/or Fieldtrip toolboxes will be utilized. For functional magnetic resonance imaging data analysis, the FSL and/or SPM toolboxes will be employed.

02

Conditions studied

  • Blindness
  • Visual Impairment

Keywords

  • blindness
  • infants
  • spatial representations
  • EEG
  • child development
  • medical device
03

In context

Blindness

144 studies on the registry are indexed under Blindness; 33 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 720 is above the median of 37 across 101 interventional studies indexed under Blindness.

Browse Blindness studies →

Lead sponsor

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia is the lead sponsor of 4 studies on the registry; 4 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
3 Months and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Having provided (by the subject or the parent/guardian) consent to be contacted through one of the recruitment channels established by the Italian Institute of Technology or voluntary enrollment;
  • Signature of the (by the subject or the parent/guardian);
  • Absence of other disabilities/conditions/comorbidities that would prevent participation and/or ensure patient safety during the execution of the tests and/or guarantee the quality/reliability of the data. This point is acquired through Informed Consent, in the section expressly acknowledging the following reasons for ineligibility to participate in the study: tactile (specifically assessing equipment tolerance), taking neuroactive drugs and substances and having taken them in the last six months, comorbidity with another pathology;
  • Being affected, to the best of their knowledge, by pathologies of the central nervous system, and having experienced epileptic episodes, even minor ones, and convulsive crises in general, even in childhood;
  • The participating subjects may have typical or atypical development (i.e., group with visual disability). In the case of visual impairment, the disability should be congenital (from birth) or late onset. Furthermore, the following requirements must be met: subjects with visual disabilities must be classified according to current diagnostic rules, with visual problems present from birth or occurring later, with residual vision ranging from 0.5-1.3 LogMAR in the case of low vision or lower than 1.3 LogMAR in the case of blindness;
  • Age range required for each phase and configuration: Blind adults (≥ 18 years old):

Phase 1; Phase 2; Phase 3; Typical adults (≥ 18 years old): Phase 1; Phase 2; Phase 3; Blind minors (3 months \< age \< 18 years old): All phases; Typical minors (3 months \< age \< 18 years old): All phases; Adequate cognitive capacity for age. In particular, recognized scales such as the WISC9 scale will be used as a reference parameter to assess cognitive capacity.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Additional disabilities besides visual impairment (e.g., individuals who are both visually and hearing impaired);
  • Absence of the signature on the form or incomplete consent regarding acknowledgment of the incompatibilities for participation in the study;
  • IQ values below the threshold of normality according to one of the recognized international scales;
  • Preterm birth.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Hypersensitivity

An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
720 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    iReach Device Group

    Device: Rehabilitation with the iReach novel multisensory medical device

Interventions

  • DeviceRehabilitation with the iReach novel multisensory medical device

    From the results of Phases 1,2 and 3, in Phase 4 a medical device for spatial and sensorimotor rehabilitation in infants aged 3 to 36 months will be tested and developed.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Perceptual responses to multisensory stimuli

    Evaluation of the number of correct responses and reaction times (in seconds), to uni- and multisensory (audio-tactile) stimuli.

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 5 years

  2. Stimuli velocity perception

    Estimation of the speed of a moving stimulus (m/s)

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 5 years

  3. Distance stimuli perception

    Estimation of the the distance traveled by a moving stimulus (m), along with an estimate of the error made in identifying the endpoint of the stimulus by the participant (m).

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 5 years

  4. Eye movements

    Eye movements are evaluated in terms of fixation duration (s) and time to first fixation (TTFF) (ms).

    Time frame: Years 3-5

  5. Saccade Analysis

    Estimation of saccade length (pixels)

    Time frame: Years 3-5

  6. ERP evaluation and analysis

    Evaluation of the Event-Related-Potentials (ERPs) in terms of the number of spikes and their Amplitude (μV);

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 5 years

  7. Power of the cortical activity

    Evaluation of power expressed by the alpha band (8-12 Hz) of the EEG recorded in the occipital area (dB).

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 5 years

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Unit For Visually Impaired People
    Genova, 16152, Italy
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Gori M. Multisensory Integration and Calibration in Children and Adults with and without Sensory and Motor Disabilities. Multisens Res. 2015;28(1-2):71-99. doi: 10.1163/22134808-00002478. PubMed 26152053 ↗
  • Gori M, Sandini G, Burr D. Development of visuo-auditory integration in space and time. Front Integr Neurosci. 2012 Sep 17;6:77. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2012.00077. eCollection 2012. PubMed 23060759 ↗
  • Gori M, Sandini G, Martinoli C, Burr DC. Impairment of auditory spatial localization in congenitally blind human subjects. Brain. 2014 Jan;137(Pt 1):288-93. doi: 10.1093/brain/awt311. Epub 2013 Nov 21. PubMed 24271326 ↗
  • Finocchietti S, Cappagli G, Gori M. Encoding audio motion: spatial impairment in early blind individuals. Front Psychol. 2015 Sep 7;6:1357. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01357. eCollection 2015. PubMed 26441733 ↗
  • Cappagli G, Gori M. Auditory spatial localization: Developmental delay in children with visual impairments. Res Dev Disabil. 2016 Jun-Jul;53-54:391-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2016.02.019. Epub 2016 Mar 19. PubMed 27002960 ↗
  • Barutchu A, Crewther DP, Crewther SG. The race that precedes coactivation: development of multisensory facilitation in children. Dev Sci. 2009 Apr;12(3):464-73. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00782.x. PubMed 19371371 ↗
  • Inuggi A, Pichiecchio A, Ciacchini B, Signorini S, Morelli F, Gori M. Multisystemic Increment of Cortical Thickness in Congenital Blind Children. Cereb Cortex Commun. 2020 Oct 9;1(1):tgaa071. doi: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa071. eCollection 2020. PubMed 34296131 ↗
  • Mongodi S, Ottonello G, Viggiano R, Borrelli P, Orcesi S, Pichiecchio A, Balottin U, Mojoli F, Iotti GA. Ten-year experience with standardized non-operating room anesthesia with Sevoflurane for MRI in children affected by neuropsychiatric disorders. BMC Anesthesiol. 2019 Dec 18;19(1):235. doi: 10.1186/s12871-019-0897-1. PubMed 31852450 ↗
  • Erden G, Yigit I, Celik C, Guzey M. The diagnostic utility of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) in identification of gifted children. J Gen Psychol. 2022 Jul-Sep;149(3):371-390. doi: 10.1080/00221309.2020.1862038. Epub 2020 Dec 22. PubMed 33350363 ↗
  • Lawrence A, Choe DE. Mobile Media and Young Children's Cognitive Skills: A Review. Acad Pediatr. 2021 Aug;21(6):996-1000. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.01.007. Epub 2021 Jan 21. PubMed 33486100 ↗
  • Cappagli G, Cocchi E, Gori M. Auditory and proprioceptive spatial impairments in blind children and adults. Dev Sci. 2017 May;20(3). doi: 10.1111/desc.12374. Epub 2015 Nov 27. PubMed 26613827 ↗
  • Vercillo T, Burr D, Sandini G, Gori M. Children do not recalibrate motor-sensory temporal order after exposure to delayed sensory feedback. Dev Sci. 2015 Sep;18(5):703-12. doi: 10.1111/desc.12247. Epub 2014 Nov 28. PubMed 25444457 ↗
  • Tonelli A, Brayda L, Gori M. Task-dependent calibration of auditory spatial perception through environmental visual observation. Front Syst Neurosci. 2015 Jun 2;9:84. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2015.00084. eCollection 2015. PubMed 26082692 ↗
  • Cuturi LF, Gori M. The Effect of Visual Experience on Perceived Haptic Verticality When Tilted in the Roll Plane. Front Neurosci. 2017 Dec 6;11:687. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00687. eCollection 2017. PubMed 29270109 ↗
  • Aggius-Vella E, Campus C, Finocchietti S, Gori M. Audio Spatial Representation Around the Body. Front Psychol. 2017 Nov 3;8:1932. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01932. eCollection 2017. PubMed 29249999 ↗
  • Campus C, Sandini G, Concetta Morrone M, Gori M. Spatial localization of sound elicits early responses from occipital visual cortex in humans. Sci Rep. 2017 Sep 5;7(1):10415. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-09142-z. PubMed 28874681 ↗
  • Campus C, Brayda L, De Carli F, Chellali R, Fama F, Bruzzo C, Lucagrossi L, Rodriguez G. Tactile exploration of virtual objects for blind and sighted people: the role of beta 1 EEG band in sensory substitution and supramodal mental mapping. J Neurophysiol. 2012 May;107(10):2713-29. doi: 10.1152/jn.00624.2011. Epub 2012 Feb 15. PubMed 22338024 ↗
  • Rigato S, Begum Ali J, van Velzen J, Bremner AJ. The neural basis of somatosensory remapping develops in human infancy. Curr Biol. 2014 Jun 2;24(11):1222-6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.04.004. Epub 2014 May 22. PubMed 24856214 ↗
  • Klostermann A, Hossner EJ. The Quiet Eye and Motor Expertise: Explaining the "Efficiency Paradox". Front Psychol. 2018 Feb 8;9:104. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00104. eCollection 2018. PubMed 29472882 ↗
  • Richmond J, Nelson CA. Relational memory during infancy: evidence from eye tracking. Dev Sci. 2009 Jul;12(4):549-56. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00795.x. PubMed 19635082 ↗
  • Stoll J, Chatelle C, Carter O, Koch C, Laureys S, Einhauser W. Pupil responses allow communication in locked-in syndrome patients. Curr Biol. 2013 Aug 5;23(15):R647-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.06.011. PubMed 23928079 ↗
  • Takacs ZK, Bus AG. Benefits of Motion in Animated Storybooks for Children's Visual Attention and Story Comprehension. An Eye-Tracking Study. Front Psychol. 2016 Oct 13;7:1591. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01591. eCollection 2016. PubMed 27790183 ↗
  • Delorme A, Makeig S. EEGLAB: an open source toolbox for analysis of single-trial EEG dynamics including independent component analysis. J Neurosci Methods. 2004 Mar 15;134(1):9-21. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2003.10.009. PubMed 15102499 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from May 2021 to primary completion in Jun 2021, 1 month.

Of 36 interventional studies with no phase under Blindness, half reached primary completion within 57 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 19. This study's 1 month is below that.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Mar 26, 2024
First posted
Apr 15, 2024
StartActual
May 3, 2021
Primary completionActual
Jun 26, 2021
CompletionEst.
Dec 31, 2025
Last update
Apr 15, 2024
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 15, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06364605
Lead sponsor
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 15, 2024
Start date
May 3, 2021
Primary completion
Jun 26, 2021
Completion
Dec 31, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Apr 15, 2024

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

No contact was published for this record. The registry link below has the sponsor’s details.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion