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The broad goal of this clinical trial is to demonstrate whether a one-month rehabilitative training with our medical device, iReach, can promote the recovery of spatial and sensorimotor abilities and the cortical reorganization process in children with visual impairment between 3 and 36 months of age.
Development and clinical validation of a novel multisensory medical device: iReach. This device will be used for the rehabilitation and recovery of spatial and sensorimotor abilities compromised by early visual impairment (i.e., blindness or moderate to severe low vision) in children aged between 3 and 36 months. In addition to its clinical value, the investigators aim to fill a technological and methodological gap. Currently, there are no certified medical devices for early intervention, that is, systems that are intuitive, simple, and designed for rehabilitation in the early stages of development.
In detail, the goals of the current clinical trial are:
iReach, is composed of two devices called Anchors, and a reference Tag, that can be placed either on both the body or external objects. Each Anchor measures its distance from the Tag and translates it into sensory feedback, whose intensity and time duration parameters are configurable. iReach can emit acoustic, vibrational, and RGB light stimuli, either alone or in combination, and is turned on via a button located on the external cover, which is manufactured through 3D printing.
This study is divided into two phases: usability and rehabilitation. The usability phase is aimed at defining the temporal durations of audio-tactile stimulations that will then be used in the rehabilitation phase. The patients enrolled in the iReach Device group of this phase will be involved in a one-month rehabilitation procedure (i.e., training) and will perform activities with iReach presented in the form of games that target localization, locomotion, grasping, and reaching skills. The training will be conducted both at home and at the clinical center and will be preceded and followed by two identical experimental sessions (pre- and post-training), which will monitor improvements in spatial and sensorimotor abilities following rehabilitation. Finally, an additional follow-up experimental session is planned four months after the post-training to verify whether these improvements are still present or not, both behaviorally and cortically. The participants enrolled in the Normal clinical activity group of the experimental phase will only be involved in the pre- and post-training sessions and the follow-up session without undergoing rehabilitation with iReach. The tasks the participants will have to undergo are designed for the specific age bin (i.e., 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-36 months)
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| iReach Device group | Experimental | The iReach Device group will undergo the clinical trial with the device in addition to the normal clinical activity |
|
| Normal clinical activity group | No Intervention | The Normal clinical activity group will continue their normal clinical activity |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iReach | Device | The iReach Device group will take part in playful multisensory motor and spatial activities for one month both at the clinic and at home with the medical device iReach. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Incidence of Device Adverse Events | Verification of the absence of device adverse events in the use of the medical device (MD); | Month 1 - Month 12, the entire duration of the clinical trial |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Change in motor skills after training with iReach medical device | The assessment of the change in certain motor skills (e.g., stability, and locomotion) after one month of intensive use of iReach. These changes will be quantified through the indices of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales -2 (PDMS-2). The tasks included in these scales will be adapted to be executable by children with visual impairments. The PDMS-2 scales are widely used in clinical practice and allow for robust and reliable measurements. Higher scores result in better outcomes. The performance values are quantified through an indicator named "Total Motor Quotient," which spans from a minimum range equal to 35-69, representing a strong deficit, to a maximum range of 131-165, indicating the best performance. |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Setti, PhD | Contact | + 393396618515 | walter.setti@iit.it | |
| Monica Gori, PhD | Contact | + 393601021020 | monica.gori@iit.it |
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| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34051686 | Background | Campus C, Signorini S, Vitali H, De Giorgis V, Papalia G, Morelli F, Gori M. Sensitive period for the plasticity of alpha activity in humans. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2021 Jun;49:100965. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100965. Epub 2021 May 21. | |
| 26613827 | Background | 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. |
| Label | URL |
|---|---|
| MySpace/iReach website | View source |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D001766 | Blindness |
| D014786 | Vision Disorders |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D012678 | Sensation Disorders |
| D009461 | Neurologic Manifestations |
| D009422 | Nervous System Diseases |
| D005128 | Eye Diseases |
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Participant masking because the clinical trial involves infants
| Month 3 - Month 12 |
| Perceptual responses to multisensory stimuli | Evaluation of the number of correct responses and reaction times (in seconds), to uni- and multisensory (audio-tactile) stimuli. | Month 1 - Month 12 |
| Change in motor abilities following the rehabilitation with the iReach medical device | Evaluation of the changes in motor tasks in terms of: i) time to reach and grasp an object (in seconds) ii) number of attempts required to reach and grasp an object; iii) number of times the midline of the body is crossed to reach a lateral object; iv) number of times an object is grasped with two hands when its size exceeds that of the hand. | Month 1 - Month 12 |
| Variation in the power of the cortical activity following the rehabilitation with the iReach medical device | Evaluation of the variation in power expressed by the alpha band (8-12 Hz) of the EEG recorded in the occipital area (dB). | Month 1 - Month 12 |
| 30824830 | Background | Cappagli G, Finocchietti S, Cocchi E, Giammari G, Zumiani R, Cuppone AV, Baud-Bovy G, Gori M. Audio motor training improves mobility and spatial cognition in visually impaired children. Sci Rep. 2019 Mar 1;9(1):3303. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-39981-x. |
| 26738148 | Background | Finocchietti S, Cappagli G, Ben Porquis L, Baud-Bovy G, Cocchi E, Gori M. Evaluation of the Audio Bracelet for Blind Interaction for improving mobility and spatial cognition in early blind children - A pilot study. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2015 Aug;2015:7998-8001. doi: 10.1109/EMBC.2015.7320248. |
| 34555348 | Background | Gori M, Campus C, Signorini S, Rivara E, Bremner AJ. Multisensory spatial perception in visually impaired infants. Curr Biol. 2021 Nov 22;31(22):5093-5101.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.09.011. Epub 2021 Sep 22. |
| 34647755 | Background | Setti W, Cuturi LF, Engel I, Picinali L, Gori M. The influence of early visual deprivation on audio-spatial working memory. Neuropsychology. 2022 Jan;36(1):55-63. doi: 10.1037/neu0000776. Epub 2021 Oct 14. |
| 25999825 | Background | Vercillo T, Gori M. Attention to sound improves auditory reliability in audio-tactile spatial optimal integration. Front Integr Neurosci. 2015 May 7;9:34. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2015.00034. eCollection 2015. |
| D012816 |
| Signs and Symptoms |
| D013568 | Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms |