Page 76 - Javanan Magazine Issue # 1919

PSYCHOLOGICAL
PSYCHOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES ISSUE No. 1919
ISSUE No. 1856
JAVANAN
JAVANAN
Dr. Alan A. CAN YOUR EYES PREDICT DEMENTIA FAR IN
Modarressi
Clinical and ADVANCE
Neuro-Psychologyst
New Research Findings are Affirmative

Previous studies have shown that sual sensitivity can lead to various dif- cessing abilities could be a valuable They aim to explore the potential of
physical changes to the eyes, such ficulties in perceiving and processing tool in dementia risk assessment. combining visual sensitivity assess-

as blood vessel damage, may help visual information, such as difficulty ments with other cognitive and neu-
drive Alzheimer’s disease progres- recognizing objects or faces, struggles Through their research, the sci- ropsychological tests to improve the
sion, while other research has looked with reading or navigating in famil- entists found that study participants accuracy of dementia risk prediction.
at using retinal scans as a way to de- iar environments, and challenges in with lower scores on the visual sen- Additionally, we intend to investi-
tect the condition through the eyes.

Additionally, researchers have
found beta-amyloid plaques- consid-
ered to be one of the main causes of
Alzheimer’s disease in the brain — on
the retina and in the lens of the eye,
hinting at potential noninvasive meth-
ods of detecting Alzheimer’s disease.

Now, researchers from Loughbor-
ough University in the United King-
dom argue that a loss of visual sensitiv-

ity could predict Alzheimer’s disease
12 years before typical diagnosis.

The scientists present their find-
ings in a paper published in Sci-
entific Reports. For this study, re- perceiving visual details or contrasts. sitivity test had a higher risk of a fu- gate the potential of visual sensitivity
searchers used data from more For example, a person with reduced ture dementia diagnosis. Prof. Eef tests as a tool for monitoring response
than 8,000 healthy adults who par- visual sensitivity may have difficulty Hogervorst, PhD, chair of Biological to interventions, such as exercise.
ticipated in the EPIC-Norfolk Pro- reading street signs while driving. Psychology and director of Dementia
spective Population Cohort Study.
Research at Loughborough Universi- Furthermore, they added that
They decided to investigate visual ty, and lead author of this study, indi- they want to examine if our visual
These study participants had under-
taken visual sensitivity testing, which sensitivity as a predictor of dementia cated that they found that a low score sensitivity test can predict driving
researchers state assesses a person’s because previous research has shown on this test missing many targets can skills in people with dementia,” he
visual processing speed and reaction that individuals with dementia often indicate future dementia risk, on av- added. “We are conducting an ex-
time. The computerized test asked experience visual processing defi- erage 12 years before the diagnosis, perimental study to investigate this
participants to hit the keyboard space cits, even in the early stages of the especially when using this test with aspect, as driving requires robust vi-
bar when they saw a triangle forming condition. Visual impairments have other specific memory tests and some sual processing abilities which may
in a field of moving dots on the screen. been linked to an increased risk of tests of global cognitive function- be compromised in individuals at
future dementia development, sug- ing worked well to predict this risk. risk for or diagnosed with dementia.
Researchers stated that a loss of vi- gesting that assessing visual pro-

DANESH FOROUGHI, PH.D. Alan Modarressi, PhD, QME
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, PSY13680 Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Licensed Marriage, Family & Child Psychotherapist, MFC23455 Qualified Medical Evaluator
Certified National Board of Addiction Examiners #4974 Certified Psychophsychologist
Tel: (310) 940-3642 Diplomat, American Academy of Pain Management

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