Faculty Collaboration Database

Visual contrast sensitivity in Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, and older adults with cognitive complaints. Neurobiol Aging 2013 Apr;34(4):1133-44

Date

10/23/2012

Pubmed ID

23084085

Pubmed Central ID

PMC3545045

DOI

10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2012.08.007

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84872329712 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   115 Citations

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.

Author List

Risacher SL, Wudunn D, Pepin SM, MaGee TR, McDonald BC, Flashman LA, Wishart HA, Pixley HS, Rabin LA, Paré N, Englert JJ, Schwartz E, Curtain JR, West JD, O'Neill DP, Santulli RB, Newman RW, Saykin AJ

Author

Darren P. O'Neill MD Interim Chair, Associate Professor in the Radiology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Aged
Alzheimer Disease
Cognitive Dysfunction
Comorbidity
Contrast Sensitivity
Female
Humans
Male
Prevalence
Reproducibility of Results
Risk Factors
Sensitivity and Specificity
United States
Vision Disorders