Effects of Route Complexity and Lighting on Route Following in Alzheimer's Disease and Posterior Cortical Atrophy

Visual processing deficits arising in dementia are associated with particular functional disability. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the built environment on mobility and navigation in people with dementia-related visual loss.

Participants with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA; "visual-variant Alzheimer's"; n = 11), typical Alzheimer's disease (tAD; N = 10), and controls (n = 13) repeatedly walked down routes within a simplified real-world setting. Participant groups were of comparable age and gender. Routes were of different complexity (straight, U-shaped, and S-shaped), overhead lighting levels (low and high) and with or without a dynamic LED (light-emitting diode) cue (trial n = 24). Ratios of walking times for each experimental condition (each complex route vs the straight route, high lighting vs low, and LED cue vs no cue) were compared between participant groups. Kinematic measures were produced from a total of 10,813 steps using wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs).

The walking time ratios relating to route complexity were higher in the PCA group than in controls: 30.3% (95% CI [13.5%, 49.5%] higher for U-shaped vs straight and 31.9% [21.1%, 55.3%] for S-shaped vs straight, averaged over other conditions). The analogous results relating to route complexity for the tAD group were intermediate between those for the PCA and control groups. There was no evidence that walking time ratios differed according to lighting level or the presence of the LED cue.

Findings contribute to evidence-based design for dementia-friendly environments, emphasizing consequences of environmental complexity for functional independence and mobility in people with dementia-related visual loss. Findings inform recommendations for environmental design to support the independence of individuals with dementia.