Cognitive Training for Face Blindness

Overseen By Joseph M DeGutis, Ph.D.

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Harvard Medical School

Disqualifiers: Neurological disorders, Psychiatric disorders, Substance dependence, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Approved in 1 Jurisdiction This treatment is already approved in other countries

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 6-8 weeks

60 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial will test if practicing with exposure to faces can help people with face blindness (Developmental Prosopagnosia) improve their ability to recognize faces. Holistic face training has shown improvements in face processing for individuals with developmental prosopagnosia.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications. However, if you have ADHD, you must have been on the same medication for the past 6 months to participate.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Repetition Lag Training, Repetition Lag Procedure, Spaced Repetition Training for face blindness?

Research on similar training methods, like perceptual learning for reading in low vision and visual search training, shows that repeated practice can improve visual tasks. These studies suggest that similar repetition-based training could help improve face recognition in individuals with face blindness. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

How is Repetition Lag Training different from other treatments for face blindness?

Repetition Lag Training is unique because it uses spaced repetition, which involves spreading out learning sessions over time, to improve memory and recognition, particularly for faces. This method is different from other treatments as it focuses on enhancing memory retrieval rather than just perception, and it has shown benefits in improving long-term memory retention. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for adults aged 18-65 with Developmental Prosopagnosia, a condition where they have lifelong difficulties recognizing faces, impacting daily life. They must perform poorly on specific face recognition tests. Excluded are those with substance dependence, significant neurological disorders, sensory impairments, severe psychiatric conditions or recent participation in other interventions.

Inclusion Criteria

I have always had trouble recognizing faces, not due to an event like a stroke, and I am between 18-65 years old.

You have had trouble recognizing faces for your whole life, and it affects your daily activities.

You do not perform well on tests that measure how well you recognize famous faces and remember faces.

Exclusion Criteria

People with ADHD can participate if they have been taking the same medication for the last 6 months.

You rely on alcohol or other drugs to get through the day.

I have been part of a drug or behavior study in the last 6 months.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants undergo cognitive training intervention targeting face recollection, including repetition lag training

6-8 weeks

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for improvements in face recognition abilities

4 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Repetition Lag Training

Trial Overview The study is testing a cognitive training program designed to improve the ability to remember and recognize faces in people with Developmental Prosopagnosia. The effectiveness of this 'repetition lag training' will be measured against standard face recognition tests.

Participant Groups

Group I: holistic face training + repetition lag training Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Group II: waitlist control Active Control 1 Intervention

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Harvard Medical School

Lead Sponsor

Trials

30

Recruited

40,700+

Harvard Medical School (HMS and HSDM)

Lead Sponsor

Trials

208

Recruited

1,421,000+

Boston VA Research Institute, Inc.

Lead Sponsor

Trials

24

Recruited

10,800+

Findings from Research

A specialized training procedure helped a cortically blind adolescent girl with anoxic brain damage to retrain her ability to identify colors and shapes, achieving near perfect performance in under 10 sessions.

The training showed a specific effect on the targeted skills, as her ability to identify visual and tactile stimuli not included in the training did not improve, indicating that the training was effective for the specific tasks practiced.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Training of color and form identification in cortical blindness: a case study. Merrill, MK., Kewman, DG.[2018]

Perceptual learning significantly improved face discrimination and recognition in older adults with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), with a 32.7% reduction in the threshold size for face discrimination and a 22.4% reduction for face recognition after just 5 days of training.

These improvements were achieved independently of changes in visual acuity or other visual factors, suggesting that the brain's ability to adapt and improve face-processing skills can be harnessed for rehabilitation in individuals with ARMD.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Effect of Perceptual Learning on Face Recognition in Individuals with Central Vision Loss. Haris, EM., McGraw, PV., Webb, BS., et al.[2021]

Visual restorative training in 12 patients with cerebral blindness resulted in a reduction of visual field defects for all participants, indicating its potential effectiveness in improving visual function after stroke.

Nine out of the twelve patients showed significant improvements in daily life activities as measured by Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), suggesting that this training not only enhances visual fields but also positively impacts daily functioning.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Visual daily functioning of chronic stroke patients assessed by goal attainment scaling after visual restorative training: an explorative study. Bergsma, D., Baars-Elsinga, A., Sibbel, J., et al.[2019]

Visually impaired (VI) subjects showed greater improvements in search accuracy and speed after 5 days of feature search training compared to age-matched normal vision (NV) controls, indicating effective training for low vision rehabilitation.

Both VI and NV groups had similar proportional gains from training, suggesting that feature search training is equally beneficial for enhancing visual search skills in individuals with low vision.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Visual search training in subjects with severe to profound low vision. Liu, L., Kuyk, T., Fuhr, P.[2022]

A new training method using stimulus exposure and identity priming significantly improved peripheral reading in 21 young adults, showing effectiveness without the need for strenuous character recognition tasks.

The training led to improvements in reading speed and reduced visual crowding, with benefits that can last for at least 3 months, making it a promising option for low-vision rehabilitation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Training peripheral vision to read: Using stimulus exposure and identity priming. Yu, D.[2023]

The study found that the repetition deficit in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) tasks is due to retrieval failure rather than perceptual failure, meaning that repeated items are stored in memory but not accessible for recall.

Participants were able to report repeated items when prompted with a retrieval probe, indicating that the information was available in memory but not easily retrievable during free recall.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Repetition deficit in rapid-serial-visual-presentation displays: encoding failure or retrieval failure? Armstrong, IT., Mewhort, DJ.[2019]

Spaced learning significantly enhances long-term memory retention, especially for face-name associations, which are challenging to remember as we age.

Both younger and older adults benefit from spaced training over longer retention intervals, although older adults may initially struggle more with learning compared to younger adults.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Preservation of long-term memory in older adults using a spaced learning paradigm. Caffrey, M., Commins, S.[2023]

In an fMRI study with participants memorizing 120 novel faces, spaced learning significantly improved recognition memory compared to massed learning, indicating its effectiveness in enhancing memory retention.

The study found that spaced learning reduced neural repetition suppression in the fusiform gyrus, suggesting that this reduction is a key mechanism by which spaced learning enhances memory encoding and retrieval.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Spaced learning enhances subsequent recognition memory by reducing neural repetition suppression. Xue, G., Mei, L., Chen, C., et al.[2021]

Divided attention during the study phase significantly reduced 'remember' responses, indicating that focused attention is crucial for recollective experiences in recognizing novel faces.

The type of repetition used in studying faces affects memory awareness: massed repetition increases feelings of familiarity ('know' responses') but decreases recollective experiences ('remember' responses'), while spaced repetition has the opposite effect, enhancing recollection.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Functional aspects of recollective experience in face recognition. Parkin, AJ., Gardiner, JM., Rosser, R.[2004]

22-week-old infants' ability to recognize previously seen faces is significantly affected by the similarity of intervening images they see during the retention period, with highly similar faces causing more recognition failures.

However, this forgetting is temporary; infants can recover their recognition ability after longer intervals or with brief re-exposure to the familiar face, indicating that memory can be reinforced even after interference.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Infant recognition memory: studies in forgetting. Fagan, JF.[2019]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Training of color and form identification in cortical blindness: a case study. [2018]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Effect of Perceptual Learning on Face Recognition in Individuals with Central Vision Loss. [2021]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Visual daily functioning of chronic stroke patients assessed by goal attainment scaling after visual restorative training: an explorative study. [2019]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Visual search training in subjects with severe to profound low vision. [2022]

5. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Training peripheral vision to read: Using stimulus exposure and identity priming. [2023]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Repetition deficit in rapid-serial-visual-presentation displays: encoding failure or retrieval failure? [2019]

7. Germany pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Preservation of long-term memory in older adults using a spaced learning paradigm. [2023]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Spaced learning enhances subsequent recognition memory by reducing neural repetition suppression. [2021]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Functional aspects of recollective experience in face recognition. [2004]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Infant recognition memory: studies in forgetting. [2019]