Visual Contrast Sensitivity in Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Older Adults with Cognitive Complaints

Overview

Journal Neurobiol Aging

Publisher Elsevier

Specialties Geriatrics
Neurology
Physiology

Date 2012 Oct 23

PMID 23084085

Citations 63

Authors

Shannon L Risacher

Darrell WuDunn

Susan M Pepin

Tamiko R Magee

Brenna C McDonald

Laura A Flashman

Heather A Wishart

Heather S Pixley

Laura A Rabin

Nadia Pare

Jessica J Englert

Eben Schwartz

Joshua R Curtain

John D West

Darren P ONeill

Robert B Santulli

Richard W Newman

Andrew J Saykin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Deficits in contrast sensitivity (CS) have been reported in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the extent of these deficits in prodromal AD stages, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or even earlier, has not been investigated. In this study, CS was assessed using frequency doubling technology in older adults with AD (n = 10), amnestic MCI (n = 28), cognitive complaints without performance deficits (CC; n = 20), and healthy controls (HC; n = 29). The association between CS and cognition was also evaluated. Finally, the accuracy of CS measures for classifying MCI versus HC was evaluated. CS deficits were found in AD and MCI, while CC showed intermediate performance between MCI and HC. Upper right visual field CS showed the most significant difference among groups. CS was also associated with cognitive performance. Finally, CS measures accurately classified MCI versus HC. The CS deficits in AD and MCI, and intermediate performance in CC, indicate that these measures are sensitive to early AD-associated changes. Therefore, frequency doubling technology-based measures of CS may have promise as a novel AD biomarker.

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