Investigation of Visual Perceptions in Parkinson's Disease and the Development of Disease Monitoring Software
Abstract
Non-motor Parkinson’s Disease (PD) symptoms are substantial factors of PD arising throughout disease stages, yet their diagnosis and monitoring remain a challenge. Sensory abnormalities in PD occur across sensory systems and disease stages, contributing to disease-related impairments. However, the extent of symptoms is unknown, with inadequate monitoring and treatment options furthering disease management difficulties. The current work studies movement-independent visual perceptions of time, displacement and velocity in PD patients across disease stages using levodopa, deep brain stimulation (DBS), or no PD therapy. Perceptual tasks were conducted using a computer-generated graphical device designed with a focus on simplicity and flexibility. Perception of all tested visual modalities was impaired in PD (often extending to early PD stages), with negligible levodopa and DBS induced improvement. The observations help explain visuospatial, visual recognition and timing deficits occurring in PD while providing potential disease markers, and validates the graphical tool’s usefulness for disease diagnosis and monitoring.