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Updated: Sep 14, 2025
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Eye-Tracking Control to Assess Cognitive Functions in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Published on: October 13, 2016
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Pupil response as a window into cognitive processing in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Mohamad El Haj1,2, Souheil Hallit3,4,5, Claire Boutoleau-Bretonnière6,7
1Nantes Université, Univ Angers, Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (LPPL - EA 4638), F-44000 Nantes, France.
Eneurologicalsci
|July 21, 2025
Summary
Pupil size changes, or pupillometry, can measure cognitive load in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) similarly to healthy individuals. This indicates pupillometry is a promising non-invasive tool for assessing cognitive function in ALS patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease.
- Cognitive impairment is a common feature in ALS.
- Objective measures of cognitive load in ALS are needed.
Observation:
- Pupil size was monitored in 19 participants (3 ALS patients, 16 healthy controls).
- Participants completed tasks with increasing cognitive demands: control, forward span, and backward span.
- Pupil activity was recorded during task performance.
Findings:
- No significant difference in pupil size was observed between ALS patients and controls across tasks.
- Both groups showed increased pupil dilation with higher cognitive load (backward span > forward span > control).
- Pupil dilation consistently reflected task-related cognitive load in both groups.
Implications:
- Pupillometry is a viable, non-invasive method for assessing cognitive load in ALS.
- This technique may help monitor disease progression and treatment efficacy.
- Further research with larger cohorts is warranted to validate these findings.
