The clinical approach to the identification of higher-order visual dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review is intended to assist the reader in gaining the knowledge and skills necessary for the recognition and assessment of higher-order visual dysfunction due to neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer ’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s dementia, corticobasal degeneration, Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, and the posterior cortical atrophy syndrome. Clinical problem-solving and pattern recognition must be developed and practiced to accurately diagnosis disturbances of higher-order visual function, and knowledge of higher-order visual brain regions and their visual syndromes forms the foundation for deciphering symptoms presented by patients and/or their care partners. Tests of higher-order visual dysfunction must be assembled by the clinician and assessment can take time and effort. The use of screening tests, follow-up visits, and formal neuropsychological referrals are critical components for accurate diagnosis and these principles are reviewed here.Recent FindingsA recent survey of neuro-ophthalmologists revealed that over half of the respondents report that 5 –10% of their new patient referrals carry a diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease and many patients were referred for visual symptoms of unknown cause. Despite over a century of discovery related to higher-order visual functions of the human brain, translation of discovery to the clinical assessm ent of patients has been slow or absent.SummaryAs with the approa...
Source: Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research