Long Latency and High Variability in Accuracy-Speed of Prosaccades in Alzheimer’s Disease at Mild to Moderate Stage

Background: Studying saccades is a useful tool to investigate brain function. There is still controversy regarding deficits in prosaccades in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and a study of saccades in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has not been published to date. Methods: We examined horizo...

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Main Authors: Qing Yang, Tao Wang, Ning Su, Yuanyuan Liu, Shifu Xiao, Zoi Kapoula
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Karger Publishers 2011-10-01
Series:Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/333080
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author Qing Yang
Tao Wang
Ning Su
Yuanyuan Liu
Shifu Xiao
Zoi Kapoula
author_facet Qing Yang
Tao Wang
Ning Su
Yuanyuan Liu
Shifu Xiao
Zoi Kapoula
author_sort Qing Yang
collection DOAJ
description Background: Studying saccades is a useful tool to investigate brain function. There is still controversy regarding deficits in prosaccades in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and a study of saccades in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has not been published to date. Methods: We examined horizontal saccades in 10 healthy elderly, and 9 MCI and 9 AD patients. Two tasks were used: gap (fixation target extinguishes prior to target onset) and overlap (fixation stays on after target onset). Eye movements were recorded with the Skalar IRIS system. Results: (1) Latencies were shorter in the gap than in the overlap task (a gap effect) in all three groups of subjects: healthy elderly, MCI and AD; (2) for both tasks, latency of saccades was longer for AD patients than for healthy and MCI subjects, and (3) accuracy and mean velocity were normal in MCI and AD subjects, however, variability in accuracy-speed was higher for AD patients than for healthy and MCI subjects in the overlap task. Conclusions: Abnormalities in reaction time and accuracy-speed variability reflect deficits in cerebral areas involved in the triggering and execution of saccades; a saccade test can be useful to follow up the evolution of MCI subjects as some of them may develop AD disease.
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spelling doaj.art-2e15527c7dc34d7da4130f75ad0078b82022-12-22T00:48:20ZengKarger PublishersDementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra1664-54642011-10-011131832910.1159/000333080333080Long Latency and High Variability in Accuracy-Speed of Prosaccades in Alzheimer’s Disease at Mild to Moderate StageQing YangTao WangNing SuYuanyuan LiuShifu XiaoZoi KapoulaBackground: Studying saccades is a useful tool to investigate brain function. There is still controversy regarding deficits in prosaccades in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and a study of saccades in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has not been published to date. Methods: We examined horizontal saccades in 10 healthy elderly, and 9 MCI and 9 AD patients. Two tasks were used: gap (fixation target extinguishes prior to target onset) and overlap (fixation stays on after target onset). Eye movements were recorded with the Skalar IRIS system. Results: (1) Latencies were shorter in the gap than in the overlap task (a gap effect) in all three groups of subjects: healthy elderly, MCI and AD; (2) for both tasks, latency of saccades was longer for AD patients than for healthy and MCI subjects, and (3) accuracy and mean velocity were normal in MCI and AD subjects, however, variability in accuracy-speed was higher for AD patients than for healthy and MCI subjects in the overlap task. Conclusions: Abnormalities in reaction time and accuracy-speed variability reflect deficits in cerebral areas involved in the triggering and execution of saccades; a saccade test can be useful to follow up the evolution of MCI subjects as some of them may develop AD disease.http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/333080Alzheimer’s diseaseGapMild cognitive impairmentOverlapSaccadesVariability
spellingShingle Qing Yang
Tao Wang
Ning Su
Yuanyuan Liu
Shifu Xiao
Zoi Kapoula
Long Latency and High Variability in Accuracy-Speed of Prosaccades in Alzheimer’s Disease at Mild to Moderate Stage
Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra
Alzheimer’s disease
Gap
Mild cognitive impairment
Overlap
Saccades
Variability
title Long Latency and High Variability in Accuracy-Speed of Prosaccades in Alzheimer’s Disease at Mild to Moderate Stage
title_full Long Latency and High Variability in Accuracy-Speed of Prosaccades in Alzheimer’s Disease at Mild to Moderate Stage
title_fullStr Long Latency and High Variability in Accuracy-Speed of Prosaccades in Alzheimer’s Disease at Mild to Moderate Stage
title_full_unstemmed Long Latency and High Variability in Accuracy-Speed of Prosaccades in Alzheimer’s Disease at Mild to Moderate Stage
title_short Long Latency and High Variability in Accuracy-Speed of Prosaccades in Alzheimer’s Disease at Mild to Moderate Stage
title_sort long latency and high variability in accuracy speed of prosaccades in alzheimer s disease at mild to moderate stage
topic Alzheimer’s disease
Gap
Mild cognitive impairment
Overlap
Saccades
Variability
url http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/333080
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