Alice Cronin-Golomb, Ph.D.
(Boston University)
Improving Vision to Enhance Cognition in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease
A strong predictor of dysfunctional visual cognition and daily function
in normal aging and in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is reduced spatial
frequency contrast sensitivity. A goal of our recent research has been
to ameliorate deficits in contrast sensitivity in aging and AD by
enhancing the signal strength of a visual target, and by so doing lead
to improvements in visual cognition and daily function. We have found
improved AD cognitive performance on lab-based tests in which contrast
sensitivity is enhanced. In a more naturalistic long-term care setting,
we have found significantly increased food and liquid intake in a sample
of AD patients when we enhanced the contrast between the food/liquid and
the tableware on which they were presented. The results indicate that
certain AD-EC differences in cognition directly reflect contrast
sensitivity differences between the groups. Enhancement of stimulus
strength can reduce vision-based deficits and lead to improvement in
some aspects of cognitive performance. These results suggest new
non-pharmacological avenues to explore in the attempt to improve daily
function in elderly adults and especially in individuals with AD.
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