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Clinical highlights: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) - neuroClues

Written by Shirine Molaynejad | Jul 19, 2024 1:30:00 PM

Clinical highlights – July 2024

We are thrilled to inform you about the clinical benefits of eye tracking. Every month, we keep you updated on the latest news shared by the scientific community.

The current newsletter will emphasize the latest research about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and the view of clinical experts on the relevance of eye-tracking for these diseases.

Enjoy the reading!

The neuroClues® Team

 

Eye Tracking has significant potential as a biomarker for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease

Studies have shown that saccadic eye movements can differentiate between mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease dementia (ADD), and healthy aging.

Saccadic eye movements are rapid, involuntary gaze shifts. There are two types:

  • Prosaccades: reflexive movements in response to a visual stimulus
  • Antisaccades: voluntary movements requiring suppression of the reflexive response and initiating a saccade in the opposite direction

Significant differences between MCI and ADD were observed using the antisaccade task (AST):

  • Error Rates: ADD patients made more errors than MCI patients, indicating greater difficulty in cognitive control.
  • Latency: ADD patients had longer latencies, reflecting more impaired cognitive processes.

These findings show that the AST is more sensitive to cognitive decline in ADD, highlighting greater impairments in executive function, attention, and cognitive control in ADD patients.

Link to the publication

 

Eye Movements can offer valuable clues in identifying the specific type of dementia

Dementia encompasses a range of cognitive impairments, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common form. However, other types exist, each with unique characteristics and challenges. Recognizing these differences is essential for accurate diagnosis and personalized care, though diagnosis can be complicated due to symptom similarities with Alzheimer’s.  

Beyond Alzheimer’s, other prevalent types of dementia include:

Recent research indicates that analyzing eye movement patterns can help distinguish between these conditions, and more generally, to differentiate across various dementia syndromes such as:

  • Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD)
  • Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD)
  • Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)(link to publication)

Incorporating eye-tracking exams into diagnostic protocols shows promise in enhancing diagnostic precision and effectiveness.

 

 

Hear what the experts have to say! 

 A few months ago, Dr Lejla Koric presented during our clinical get-together meeting how eye tracking led to reconsider the diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment and eventually led to a diagnosis of Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA). 

 The talks are in French but subtitles are available in English. 

 

 

 

 

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