PS-C01-12: EARLY DETECTION OF DEMENTIA USING AI-BASED EYE-TRACKING TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

Responding to the rapid rise in the number of dementia cases is becoming increasingly urgent. A great deal of evidence indicates that early diagnosis and timely intervention lead to beneficial outcomes. Vascular risk factors such as hypertension can be a potential target for dementia prevention as controlling blood pressure can reduce the risk of developing dementia later in life. A diagnostic method for the easy and accurate detection of mild symptoms of dementia is necessary to provide early intervention. Neuropsychological tests, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), are commonly used as a screening tool to detect cognitive impairment. These traditional neuropsychological tests are valid and reliable; however, they are not sufficiently simple and rapid as routine screening tools. Here, we developed a newly developed eye tracking-based cognitive assessment tool to detect cognitive impairment. The gaze points of the subjects were recorded by the eye-tracking device while a series of short (178 s) task movies are displayed on the monitor, and the cognitive scores are determined from the gaze plots data. Eighty participants, including 27 cognitively healthy controls (HC), 26 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 27 patients with dementia, were assessed by both an eye tracking-based and neuropsychological tests. A strong positive correlation was observed between the MMSE and eye tracking-based cognitive scores (r = 0.74, p < 0.00001, Spearman rank test). The eye tracking-based cognitive scores also correlated well with other neuropsychological tests such as FAB and ADAS-cog, and they also demonstrated a good diagnostic performance in detecting MCI. Eye tracking-based cognitive assessment provides a new platform for a quantitative scoring and sensitive detection of cognitive impairment. Furthermore, we developed an easy-to-administer cognitive assessment application for smart devices such as iPad. This will facilitate early intervention, leading to the prevention of dementia. We are currently conducting a medical device clinical trial in Japan and preparing for the global extension of this service.