Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Early Detection of Alzheimer’s May Develop from Eye
Tracking Test with Primates
Mild cognitive impairment successfully detected
using infrared eye tracking
April 15, 2009 – With a little help from some
nonhuman primates, researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research
Center, Emory University, think they have found a use for advanced
technology to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in humans and pave
the way for predicting the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research
Center, Emory University, developed a test in nonhuman primates that is
now using infrared eye tracking to detect mild cognitive impairment
(MCI) in humans.
The researchers hope the advanced technology will be
helpful in predicting the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
The test, which uses infrared eye tracking, is
featured in the current online issue of The American Journal of
Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, and is helping researchers
further understand the role of the brain structures critical to human
memory.
Individuals who have been diagnosed with MCI show
memory loss but have relatively preserved abilities in other cognitive
areas. However, many individuals with MCI appear to be at a higher risk
for developing other forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.
Accordingly, individuals with MCI play an important
role in the development of research strategies that could lead to early
diagnosis and possible prevention of such dementias.
To study the brain changes related to memory loss,
Yerkes director and lead researcher Stuart Zola, PhD, developed an
infrared eye-tracking test that involves showing individuals one image
and then another after a several-second delay. The researchers then
repeat the test several minutes later.
In doing so, they found patients with MCI spent
less time looking at the new picture than control subjects.
"Someone without any impairment spends most of the
time focusing on the new image because the person quickly recognizes the
previously shown image," says Zola.
“In contrast, individuals with MCI show less
interest in the new image because, as time passes, they may not remember
seeing the original image. This is similar to individuals with
Alzheimer's disease, who will look at both images equally because they
cannot remember seeing the first image," Zola continues.
Zola and his researchers discovered behavioral
tasks that are harbingers to various types of cognitive impairment,
including Alzheimer's disease, which afflicts more than five million
Americans at a cost estimated to approach $150 billion annually.
The results of the study indicate the possibility
of detecting dementias much earlier than ever before. By doing so,
intervention can begin sooner, which offers hope for more effective
treatment and, thus, encouraging outcomes. The researchers plan to
follow up the study by tracking and observing study participants to
determine whether they develop any forms of dementia.
To listen to Zola's own words about his research
involving diagnosing cognitive impairment, access Emory's new Sound
Science podcast at
http://whsc.emory.edu/soundscience/.
Related Resources
●
Sound Science: Diagnosing diseases linked to memory loss
●
Bio: Dr. Stuart Zola
●
Yerkes National Primate Research Laboratory
●
Dining at the animal house (Emory Health, Winter 2009)
●
Yerkes research holds promises of advancing science, improving health (Q
& A) (Emory Report, Sept. 2006)
Information Source
About the Yerkes Center (information provided by
Emory University)
For nearly eight decades, the Yerkes National
Primate Research Center, Emory University, has been dedicated to
conducting essential basic science and translational research to advance
scientific understanding and to improve the health and well-being of
humans and nonhuman primates. Today, the center, as one of only eight
National Institutes of Health–funded national primate research centers,
provides leadership, training and resources to foster scientific
creativity, collaboration and discoveries. Yerkes-based research is
grounded in scientific integrity, expert knowledge, respect for
colleagues, an open exchange of ideas and compassionate, quality animal
care.
Within the fields of microbiology and immunology,
neuroscience, psychobiology and sensory-motor systems, the center's
research programs are seeking ways to: develop vaccines for infectious
and noninfectious diseases, such as AIDS and Alzheimer's disease; treat
cocaine addiction; interpret brain activity through imaging; increase
understanding of progressive illnesses such as Parkinson's and
Alzheimer's; unlock the secrets of memory; determine behavioral effects
of hormone replacement therapy; address vision disorders; and advance
knowledge about the evolutionary links between biology and behavior.
Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center
The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of
Emory University is an academic health science and service center
focused on missions of teaching, research, health care and public
service. Its components include the Emory University School of Medicine,
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, and Rollins School of Public
Health; Yerkes National Primate Research Center; Emory Winship Cancer
Institute; and Emory Healthcare, the largest, most comprehensive health
system in Georgia. Emory Healthcare includes: The Emory Clinic,
Emory-Children's Center, Emory University Hospital, Emory University
Hospital Midtown, Wesley Woods Center, Emory University Orthopaedics &
Spine Hospital, the jointly owned Emory-Adventist Hospital, and EHCA, a
limited liability company created with Hospital Corporation of America.
EHCA includes two joint venture hospitals, Emory Eastside Medical Center
and Emory Johns Creek Hospital. The Woodruff Health Sciences Center has
a $2.3 billion budget, 18,000 employees, 2,500 full-time and 1,500
affiliated faculty, 4,300 students and trainees, and a $5.5 billion
economic impact on metro Atlanta.
