RePer-AGE: Reorganization of Visuo-cognitive Functions Based on Peripheral Vision With Aging (RePer-AGE)

The RePer-AGE study investigates how central and peripheral vision contribute to visual recognition and how these mechanisms change with normal aging. The study is based on the hypothesis that peripheral vision provides rapid global information that supports visual recognition through predictive mechanisms. Healthy young adults (18-30 years) and older adults (60-85 years) will undergo visual psychophysical testing, ophthalmological examinations, and, for a subset of participants, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The results are expected to improve our understanding of age-related changes in visuo-cognitive functions and provide reference data for future studies on age-related visual disorders.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Aging; Cognition; Visual Perception
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Psychophysical visual recognition tasks; Diagnostic test: Ophthalmological assessment; Diagnostic test: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Detailed Description

Visual recognition depends on the complementary contribution of central and peripheral vision. Central vision provides high spatial resolution and supports the detailed analysis required for object identification, whereas peripheral vision rapidly extracts coarse visual information that provides a global representation of the surrounding environment. According to predictive models of visual processing, this early peripheral information is used to generate predictions that facilitate the subsequent processing of detailed visual inputs.

The RePer-AGE project is based on the hypothesis that peripheral vision plays a key role in predictive visual processing and that this contribution changes during normal aging. Although aging is associated with well-documented declines in visual acuity and contrast sensitivity, particularly for high spatial frequencies, several findings suggest that the processing of coarse visual information conveyed by peripheral vision may be relatively preserved. This preserved processing may contribute to compensatory mechanisms supporting visual recognition in older adults.

RePer-AGE is a prospective, monocentric interventional study conducted at Grenoble Alpes University Hospital (CHU Grenoble Alpes) and the Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition (LPNC, CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes). The study will recruit 160 healthy volunteers divided into two age groups: young adults (18-30 years) and older adults (60-85 years). Participants will undergo an ophthalmological examination to ensure normal or corrected-to-normal vision and the absence of ocular disease likely to affect visual performance. Older participants will also complete a brief cognitive screening assessment.

The project combines complementary behavioral, ophthalmological, and neuroimaging approaches to investigate the respective contributions of central and peripheral vision to visual recognition.

The first research axis combines psychophysical experiments with ophthalmological assessments. Participants perform computerized visual recognition tasks specifically designed to evaluate the relative contribution of central and peripheral vision. Additional ophthalmological examinations include automated static perimetry to assess retinal sensitivity across the visual field and low-luminance visual acuity testing. These measurements will allow the relationship between retinal function and visual recognition performance to be investigated.

The second research axis combines psychophysical experiments with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). During MRI acquisition, participants perform visual recognition tasks while blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity is recorded. These data will be used to identify the cortical networks supporting predictive visual processing and to determine how these neural mechanisms are modified during normal aging.

The psychophysical paradigms are derived from previous studies conducted by the research team and investigate two complementary aspects of visual recognition. One paradigm evaluates the respective contribution of central and peripheral vision to scene categorization, whereas the second examines how semantic information extracted from peripheral vision influences the recognition of centrally presented visual stimuli through predictive mechanisms.

The primary objective of the study is to determine how central and peripheral vision differentially contribute to visual recognition and how these mechanisms are reorganized with aging. Secondary objectives include characterizing age-related changes in retinal sensitivity, examining the relationship between retinal function and behavioral performance, and identifying the neural correlates of predictive visual processing using functional MRI.

The results of RePer-AGE are expected to improve the understanding of the mechanisms underlying normal visual aging. They will provide normative reference data for future studies investigating pathological aging and visual disorders affecting central vision, and may ultimately contribute to the development of new approaches for visual assessment and rehabilitation.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 160
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Carole Peyrin, PhD; Phone Number: 0033615351350; Email: carole.peyrin@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr

Study Locations

• France
  • Isère
    • Grenoble, Isère, France, 38043
      • Chu Grenoble Alpes
      • Contact: Carole Peyrin, PhD; Phone Number: 0033615351350; Email: carole.peyrin@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr
      • Contact: Mathilde Gallice, MD; Phone Number: 0033476767575; Email: MGallice@chu-grenoble.fr
      • Principal Investigator: Mathilde Gallice, MD
      • Sub-Investigator: Carole Peyrin, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy young adults aged 18 to 30 years or healthy older adults aged 60 to 85 years.
• Normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity.
• No ophthalmological disease affecting visual function.
• For participants aged 60 years or older: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≥23.
• Affiliated with a national health insurance system.
• Written informed consent.

Non inclusion Criteria:

• Individuals protected under French regulations governing research involving human participants.
• Employees or individuals under the direct authority of the investigators.
• History of neurological or psychiatric disorders likely to affect visual or cognitive functions.
• Current treatment likely to alter visual function or vigilance.
• MRI contraindications (metallic implants, pacemaker, severe claustrophobia, or other MRI safety contraindications) for participation in the MRI arm only.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Psychophysics and Ophthalmology; Participants undergo psychophysical visual recognition tasks together with ophthalmological examinations, including retinal sensitivity assessment by automated perimetry and low-luminance visual acuity testing.	Behavioral: Psychophysical visual recognition tasks; Computerized visual recognition tasks assessing the respective contributions of central and peripheral vision to scene recognition and predictive visual processing.; Diagnostic test: Ophthalmological assessment; Ophthalmological examinations including retinal sensitivity (Humphrey automated perimetry) and low-luminance visual acuity.
Experimental: Psychophysics and Functional MRI; Participants undergo psychophysical visual recognition tasks while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is performed to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying visual recognition and predictive processing.	Behavioral: Psychophysical visual recognition tasks; Computerized visual recognition tasks assessing the respective contributions of central and peripheral vision to scene recognition and predictive visual processing.; Diagnostic test: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); Functional MRI performed during psychophysical visual recognition tasks to assess brain activity associated with visual recognition and predictive visual processing.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Behavioral performance during scene categorization tasks	Behavioral performance will be assessed using accuracy and response time during computerized scene categorization tasks evaluating (1) central versus peripheral vision (EXC paradigm) and (2) semantic congruency between peripheral and central vision (VPC paradigm). Comparisons will be performed between young and older adults.	Baseline (single experimental session)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Retinal sensitivity	Retinal sensitivity measured by Humphrey 30-2 automated perimetry, including Mean Deviation (MD), Pattern Standard Deviation (PSD), and retinal sensitivity thresholds.	Baseline
Brain activation during visual recognition	Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging during scene categorization tasks, including whole-brain analyses and regions of interest involved in visual recognition and predictive processing.	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Grenoble
• Collaborators: National Research Agency, France; University Grenoble Alps; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Faurite C, Aprile E, Kauffmann L, Mermillod M, Gallice M, Chiquet C, Cottereau BR, Peyrin C. Interaction between central and peripheral vision: Influence of distance and spatial frequencies. J Vis. 2024 Jan 2;24(1):3. doi: 10.1167/jov.24.1.3.
• Peyrin C, Roux-Sibilon A, Trouilloud A, Khazaz S, Joly M, Pichat C, Boucart M, Krainik A, Kauffmann L. Semantic and Physical Properties of Peripheral Vision Are Used for Scene Categorization in Central Vision. J Cogn Neurosci. 2021 Apr 1;33(5):799-813. doi: 10.1162/jocn_a_01689.
• Trouilloud A, Kauffmann L, Roux-Sibilon A, Rossel P, Boucart M, Mermillod M, Peyrin C. Rapid scene categorization: From coarse peripheral vision to fine central vision. Vision Res. 2020 May;170:60-72. doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2020.02.008. Epub 2020 Apr 4.
• Roux-Sibilon A, Peyrin C, Greenwood JA, Goffaux V. Radial bias in face identification. Proc Biol Sci. 2023 Jun 28;290(2001):20231118. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1118. Epub 2023 Jun 28.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2030
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 21, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 21, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 21, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: fMRI; Healthy Aging; Psychophysics; Predictive processing; Peripheral vision; Central vision; Visual recognition; Retinal sensitivity
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; Diagnosis; Tomography; Diagnostic Imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Other Study ID Numbers: 38RC25.0395; ANR-25-CE28-6333 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)); 2026-A00492-49 (Other Identifier: Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé (ANSM))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: De-identified individual participant data necessary to reproduce the results reported in scientific publications will be shared. Data may include demographic, behavioral, ophthalmological, and neuroimaging data after anonymization, in accordance with the study Data Management Plan and applicable data protection regulations.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: IPD and supporting information will be available after publication of the primary study results. Data will remain available for as long as they are maintained in the designated data repository, in accordance with the study Data Management Plan and institutional policies.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: De-identified individual participant data will be made available to researchers for scientifically sound research purposes, in accordance with the study Data Management Plan, applicable legal and ethical requirements, and institutional policies.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No