An audio-visual motor training improves audio spatial localization skills in individuals with scotomas due to retinal degenerative diseases

• Published in: Acta psychologica Vol. 219; p. 103384
• Main Authors: Ahmad, Hafsah, Tonelli, Alessia, Campus, Claudio, Capris, Elisabetta, Facchini, Valentina, Sandini, Giulio, Gori, Monica
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.09.2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: Audio-visual motor training; Macular Degeneration; Multisensory integration; Retinal degenerative diseases (RDD); Scotoma; Spatial representation; Scotoma; Multisensory integration; Retinal degenerative diseases (RDD); Audio-visual motor training; Spatial representation; Macular Degeneration
• ISSN: 0001-6918; 1873-6297
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2021.103384

Several studies have shown that impairments in a sensory modality can induce perceptual deficits in tasks involving the remaining senses. For example, people with retinal degenerative diseases like Macular Degeneration (MD) and with central scotoma show biased auditory localization abilities towards the visual field's scotoma area. This result indicates an auditory spatial reorganization of cross-modal processing in people with scotoma when the visual information is impaired. Recent works showed that multisensory training could be beneficial to improve spatial perception. In line with this idea, here we hypothesize that audio-visual and motor training could improve people's spatial skills with retinal degenerative diseases. In the present study, we tested this hypothesis by testing two groups of scotoma patients in an auditory and visual localization task before and after a training or rest performance. The training group was tested before and after multisensory training, while the control group performed the two tasks twice after 10 min of break. The training was done with a portable device positioned on the finger, providing spatially and temporally congruent audio and visual feedback during arm movement. Our findings show improved audio and visual localization for the training group and not for the control group. These results suggest that integrating multiple spatial sensory cues can improve the spatial perception of scotoma patients. This finding ignites further research and applications for people with central scotoma for whom rehabilitation is classically focused on training visual modality only. •Can an audio-visual and motor training improve the spatial skills of people with retinal degenerative diseases?•We tested two groups of 22 patients with RDD in an auditory and visual localization task.•We found an improvement in audio and visual localization for the training group and not for the control group.•Hence, the integration of multiple spatial sensory cues can improve the spatial perception of RDD patients.•These findings ignite further research and applications for people with central scotoma for whom rehabilitation is classically focused on training visual modality only.