[Visual perceptual disorders in Alzheimer's disease].

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Visual perception is crucial for information gathering and quality of life.
• Alzheimer's disease (AD) frequently impairs visual perception, complicating cognitive assessments.
• Understanding these deficits is vital for patient care and diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and classify visual perception deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on neuroanatomical pathways.
• To highlight the prevalence and types of visual impairments in AD patients.
• To discuss the implications for patient quality of life, neuropsychological testing, and early diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of studies on visual perception in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• Classification of visual deficits according to neuroanatomical correspondence (retina, visual pathway, subcortical structures, occipital cortex, and dorsal/ventral visual streams).

Main Results:

• Both low-level (e.g., visual field loss, reduced acuity/contrast sensitivity, impaired color vision) and high-level (e.g., impaired motion perception, visuospatial deficits, object agnosia, prosopagnosia, facial emotion recognition) visual perception disorders are common in AD.
• These deficits span across various stages of visual processing, from the retina to higher cortical areas.
• Visual perception impairments are linked to reduced quality of life and can interfere with standard neuropsychological test results.

Conclusions:

• Visuoperceptual deficits are a significant and common feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• Awareness of these deficits is crucial for healthcare professionals to improve patient care and interpret test results accurately.
• Certain visual perception tests may hold potential for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD).