Naturalistic Eye Movement Tasks in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review

Eye tracking assessments in the laboratory have previously highlighted clear differences in eye movements between Parkinson's disease (PD) and healthy aging. However, laboratory-based eye movement tasks are artificial and limit the ecological validity of observed results. Eye movement tasks utilizing more naturalistic scenarios may provide more accurate insight into cognitive function but research in this area is limited.

This systematic review aims to ascertain what naturalistic tasks have revealed about oculomotor deficits in PD and what this information may help us understand about the underlying sensorimotor and cognitive processes.

Adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, a literature search of PsycInfo, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted using predetermined search terms. Articles including both individuals with PD and healthy older adults completing eye tracking tasks involving naturalistic eye movements (e.g., reading, video-watching, unrestricted visual search) or naturalistic stimuli were included.

After screening, 30 studies were identified as matching the inclusion criteria. Results revealed consistent findings across tasks, including longer fixation durations and smaller saccadic amplitudes in PD compared to healthy aging. However, inconsistencies in the literature and a lack of standardization in tasks limit interpretation of these results.

Naturalistic eye movement tasks highlight some consistent differences in eye movements between people with PD and healthy aging. However, future research should expand the current literature in this area and strive towards standardization of naturalistic tasks that can preferably be conducted remotely.