[Perception Digital Test (PDT) for the assessment of incipient visual disorder in initial Alzheimer's disease].
BACKGROUND
Visual perception disorders are frequent in degenerative diseases with posterior cerebral lobe involvement, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The main aim of this study is to create a Perception Digital Test (PDT) based on the treatment of digital photographs, and to present normative values in the elderly Spanish population. The second objective is to validate the test in a group of patients with mild AD, stage 4 in the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) (AD-4).


METHODS
The group were constituted by 86 healthy controls (CTR) and 27 AD patients.


METHODS
VPT, which was formed by 15 items with four options of answer, was administered to all subjects.


RESULTS
Mean time of administration of PDT in CTR was 85 seconds (standard desviation: 33). Mean result obtained for each groups was significantly different (CTR: 13.5 [1.4]; AD-4: 10.6 (2.9); p = 0.05). Age did not significantly influence PDT performance in any of the groups. However, years of education influenced significantly the CTR group score.


CONCLUSIONS
PDT is an easy, quick and sensitive test to assess visual perception disorders in initial AD.
Rami
L
L
Unidad Memoria-Alzheimer, Servicio de Neurología, Institut Clínic de Neurociències IDIBAPS, Hospital Clínic i Universitari, Barcelona.
Serradell
M
M
Bosch
B
B
Villar
A
A
Molinuevo
J L
JL
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications*; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D014796:Visual Perception