A Spatial Decision Eye-Tracking Task in Patients with Prodromal and Mild Alzheimer's Disease

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Spatial decision eye-tracking task performance is impaired in moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• The clinical relevance of these deficits in earlier stages of AD, such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate spatial decision-making abilities in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and mild AD using eye-tracking.
• To determine if spatial decision-making deficits can differentiate between aMCI and mild AD.

Main Methods:

• Recruited age-matched controls, aMCI patients, and mild AD patients from French memory clinics.
• Assessed spatial judgment and decision-making using an eye-tracking system.
• Evaluated cognitive performance with conventional neuropsychological tests, including the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE).

Main Results:

• Mild AD patients exhibited significantly higher error rates on the spatial decision task compared to aMCI patients and controls.
• No significant differences were found in anticipation rate or express saccades among the groups.
• Spatial decision task errors correlated inversely with visual memory, semantic fluency, and global cognition (MMSE).

Conclusions:

• Mild AD patients demonstrate impaired performance on spatial decision tasks compared to aMCI patients and controls.
• Visuospatial judgment deficits may contribute to the observed differences and help distinguish between aMCI and mild AD.
• Eye-tracking spatial decision tasks show potential for differentiating early AD stages.