It is possible to improve ones visual perception with practice, in the case of both healthy adults and people who experience vision loss from a traumatic brain injury or stroke. Researchers at the University of Rochester set out to explore whether this slow process of regaining sight can be accelerated by introducing brain stimulation. They presented study participants with a computer-based visual task and then introduced the stimulation: non-invasive electrical current applied over the visual cortex. One particular type of stimulation, called transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) noticeably improved participants’ performance on the the task, which means it could dramatically aid vision therapy for patients who have experienced a stroke or traumatic brain injury.
The University at Rochester is a member of NYSERNet’s R&E network. Learn more about the findings here: https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/brain-stimulation-vision-loss-stroke-traumatic-injury-384142/