Quantitative analysis of pursuit ocular movements in Parkinson's disease by using a video-based eye tracking system.
The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy and the tolerability of a new vision-based non-intrusive eye tracker in a population composed of normal controls and in patients affected by nonadvanced Parkinson's disease (PD). PD patients characteristically have difficulty in sustaining repetitive motor actions. Previous studies showed a progressive bradykinesia and hypokinesia of pursuit ocular movements (POM) in advanced PD. We found that the values of POM were lower in PD patients than in normal controls (p < 0.001). In PD patients, the values correlated closely with Hoehn and Yahr stage and Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor subscore (p < 0.001, for both). Our data suggest that deficit in POM occurs also in nonadvanced PD patients and it is closely correlated with clinical scores. Thus, this vision-based system can be considered a new method to provide, noninvasively, measures of POM dysfunctions and can be used as reliable indices of disease severity in PD patients.
Marino
Silvia
S
IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, Messina, Italy. marino@centroneurolesi.it
Sessa
Edoardo
E
Di Lorenzo
Giuseppe
G
Lanzafame
Pietro
P
Scullica
Gabriella
G
Bramanti
Alessia
A
La Rosa
Francesco
F
Iannizzotto
Giancarlo
G
Bramanti
Placido
P
Di Bella
Paolo
P
D000368:Aged; D017076:Computer-Aided Design / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011698:Pursuit, Smooth / Q000502:physiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014741:Video Recording / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*