Ocal, Dilek;
McCarthy, Ian D;
Poole, Teresa;
Primativo, Silvia;
Suzuki, Tatsuto;
Tyler, Nick;
Frost, Chris;
... Yong, Keir XX; + view all
(2023)
Effects of the visual environment on object localization in posterior cortical atrophy and typical Alzheimer's disease.
Frontiers in Medicine
, 10
, Article 1102510. 10.3389/fmed.2023.1102510.
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Abstract
Introduction: Visual processing deficits in Alzheimer's disease are associated with diminished functional independence. While environmental adaptations have been proposed to promote independence, recent guidance gives limited consideration to such deficits and offers conflicting recommendations for people with dementia. We evaluated the effects of clutter and color contrasts on performances of everyday actions in posterior cortical atrophy and memory-led typical Alzheimer's disease. Methods: 15 patients with posterior cortical atrophy, 11 with typical Alzheimer's disease and 16 healthy controls were asked to pick up a visible target object as part of two pilot repeated-measures investigations from a standing or seated position. Participants picked up the target within a controlled real-world setting under varying environmental conditions: with/without clutter, with/without color contrast cue and far/near target position. Task completion time was recorded using a target-mounted inertial measurement unit. Results: Across both experiments, difficulties locating a target object were apparent through patient groups taking an estimated 50–90% longer to pick up targets relative to controls. There was no evidence of effects of color contrast when locating objects from standing/seated positions and of any other environmental conditions from a standing position on completion time in any participant group. Locating objects, surrounded by five distractors rather than none, from a seated position was associated with a disproportionately greater effect on completion times in the posterior cortical atrophy group relative to the control or typical Alzheimer's disease groups. Smaller, not statistically significant but directionally consistent, ratios of relative effects were seen for two distractors compared with none. Discussion: Findings are consistent with inefficient object localization in posterior cortical atrophy relative to typical Alzheimer's disease and control groups, particularly with targets presented within reaching distance among visual clutter. Findings may carry implications for considering the adverse effects of visual clutter in developing and implementing environmental modifications to promote functional independence in Alzheimer's disease.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Effects of the visual environment on object localization in posterior cortical atrophy and typical Alzheimer's disease |
| Location: | Switzerland |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fmed.2023.1102510 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2023.1102510 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2023 Ocal, McCarthy, Poole, Primativo, Suzuki, Tyler, Frost, Crutch and Yong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
| Keywords: | Alzheimer's disease, clutter, dementia, environmental modifications, object localization, posterior cortical atrophy, reaching, vision |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Civil, Environ and Geomatic Eng UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Neurodegenerative Diseases |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10166865 |
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