Eyetracking metrics reveal impaired spatial anticipation in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia

Publication date: Available online 12 October 2017 Source:Neuropsychologia Author(s): Silvia Primativo, Camilla Clark, Keir XX Yong, Nicholas.C. Firth, Jennifer Nicholas, Daniel Alexander, Jason D Warren, Jonathan D Rohrer, Sebastian J Crutch Eyetracking technology has had limited application in the dementia field to date, with most studies attempting to discriminate syndrome subgroups on the basis of basic oculomotor functions rather than higher-order cognitive abilities. Eyetracking-based tasks may also offer opportunities to reduce or ameliorate problems associated with standard paper-and-pencil cognitive tests such as the complexity and linguistic demands of verbal test instructions, and the problems of tiredness and attention associated with lengthy tasks that generate few data points at a slow rate. In the present paper we adapted the Brixton spatial anticipation test to a computerized instruction-less version where oculomotor metrics, rather than overt verbal responses, were taken into account as indicators of high level cognitive functions. Twelve bvFTD (in whom spatial anticipation deficits were expected), six SD patients (in whom deficits were predicted to be less frequent) and 38 healthy controls were presented with a 10×7 matrix of white circles. During each trial (N=24) a black dot moved across seven positions on the screen, following 12 different patterns. Participants’ eye movements were recorded. Frequentist statistical analysis of standard eye m...

Source: Neuropsychologia - October 13, 2017 Category: Neurology Source Type: research