Neurofeedback in Visual Snow

NCT04902365 · Status: UNKNOWN · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 70

Last updated 2023-06-15

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Visual snow (VS) is a distressing, life-impacting condition with unrelenting and persistent disturbing visual phenomena. Disease onset is usually around age 20 and is characterized by continuous perception of innumerable flickering dots (like a 'broken television'). The disease is often accompanied by comorbidities such as migraine, tinnitus, depression and anxiety.

Neuronally, VS patients show cerebral hypermetabolism, resulting in altered neuronal excitability, as well as increased grey matter volume in parts of the visual cortex.

For this pilot study, the investigators aim to recruit VS patients. In a double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled longitudinal experiment, the investigators will use real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtfMRI) neurofeedback to teach patients to downregulate activity in different regions of the visual cortex.

The investigators hypothesize that neurofeedback will allow patients to learn to downregulate their abnormal visual cortex activity. Moreover, the investigators predict that a stronger downregulation of activity from the lingual gyrus will correlate with a more pronounced decrease in VS symptoms.

Conditions

  • Visual Snow Syndrome
  • Neuro-Ophthalmology

Interventions

OTHER

neurofeedback

(based on real-time functional magnetic resonance signals)

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Zurich

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
60 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2022-01-14
Primary Completion
2023-08-30
Completion
2023-12-30

Countries

  • Switzerland

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04902365 on ClinicalTrials.gov