Visual velocity perception dysfunction in Parkinson's disease
Matthew Bernardinis1, S Farokh Atashzar2, Mandar S Jog3
1School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street North, London, Ontario N6A 5B9, Canada; Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics, 339 Windermere Road, London, Ontario N6A 5A5, Canada; London Movement Disorders Centre, 339 Windermere Road, London, Ontario N6A 5A5, Canada.
Behavioural Brain Research
|May 12, 2023
Summary
Visual perception is impaired in Parkinson's disease (PD), even in early stages. This visual deficit offers a potential new method for diagnosing and monitoring PD progression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Neurology
Background:
- Sensory processing in Parkinson's disease (PD) is less understood than motor deficits.
- Early sensory deficits in PD present opportunities for accessible diagnosis and monitoring.
- Existing studies often confound sensory and motor aspects of PD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess visual spatiotemporal perception independently of motor function in Parkinson's disease.
- To develop and utilize a scalable computational tool for evaluating visual perception in PD.
Main Methods:
- A 2-D virtual reality environment was employed to test visual perception.
- A task measuring visual velocity perception was administered to 37 PD patients and 17 controls.
Main Results:
- Parkinson's disease patients exhibited significant impairments in visual velocity perception.
- These deficits were evident at slower velocity magnitudes and in early stages of PD.
- Impairments were observed both with and without PD therapy (ON and OFF).
Conclusions:
- Visual velocity perception is impaired in Parkinson's disease, indicating issues with visual spatiotemporal processing.
- This visual deficit is sensitive to PD across all disease stages.
- Visual perception assessment may serve as a valuable tool for PD diagnosis and monitoring.
Keywords:
Computer-generated graphical toolNon-motor PD symptomsPD diagnostic technologyPD monitoring technologyParkinson’s disease (PD)Visual velocity perceptionMore Related Videos
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