Combined Optokinetic Stimulation and Cueing-based Reading Therapy to Treat Hemispatial Neglect Following Stroke

Randomized Controlled Trial of Combined Optokinetic Stimulation and Cueing-based Reading Therapy to Treat Hemispatial Neglect Following Stroke (OKS-READ Study)

Spatial neglect represents a common and severe cognitive disorder following unilateral (mostly right hemisphere) stroke. Patients are unaware of objects, persons and even own body parts in the (usually left) hemispace opposite to their brain lesion. While there is spontaneous remission in some patients, neglect symptoms persist in many stroke survivors which is associated with a poor functional outcome. Although different therapeutic approaches (including cognitive interventions, non-invasive brain stimulation and drugs) have been investigated in the last decades, an established therapy is still missing. Hence, there is a clear need for an effective and feasible intervention that can be applied in rehabilitation centers.

This study is dedicated to assess the effect of a cognitive treatment consisting of combined optokinetic stimulation (OKS) and cueing-based reading therapy (READ) on hemispatial neglect and the neglect-related functional disability in right-hemisphere stroke patients. It will be a mono-centric, randomized, controlled, clinical trial. Using a crossover design with two arms, patients will either receive the intervention therapy (OKS-READ) first and subsequently the control treatment (neuropsychological training not targeting visuospatial attention) or they will start in the control arm and then switch to the intervention. Each treatment phase consists of 15 therapy sessions lasting 30 to 45 minutes. The outcome will be assessed at different time points, including established neuropsychological tests for spatial neglect and a clinical score of neglect-related functional disability.

see above

Inclusion Criteria:

• a first-time stroke in the right hemisphere (confirmed by cranial CT or MRI) within the last six months,
• a left-sided hemispatial neglect (as detected in at least one subtest of the neuropsychological test battery at screening),
• the ability to read and understand German language and
• the ability to give informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• dementia
• other structural brain lesions besides the unilateral stroke (e.g. multiple or bilateral stroke lesions, hydrocephalus, inflammatory lesions, etc.)
• low vision (corrected <0.7) due to ophthalmological diseases