TY - JOUR
T1 - Rett syndrome
T2 - Basic features of visual processing - A pilot study of eye-tracking
AU - Djukic, Aleksandra
AU - Valicenti McDermott, Maria
AU - Mavrommatis, Kathleen
AU - Martins, Cristina L.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors had full access to all of the data in the study, and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. The acquisition of equipment used in this study was made possible by generous donations to the Rett Center at Montefiore from families of our patients R.R. and J.D. A.D. was supported by the International Rett Syndrome Consortium-RettSearch and the International Rett Syndrome Foundation (through a microgrant mechanism). The participation of C.L.M. in this study was supported by the Hospital Garcia de Orta and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation . The authors thank Solomon Moshe, MD, for valuable suggestions during preparation of the manuscript.
PY - 2012/7
Y1 - 2012/7
N2 - Consistently observed "strong eye gaze" has not been validated as a means of communication in girls with Rett syndrome, ubiquitously affected by apraxia, unable to reply either verbally or manually to questions during formal psychologic assessment. We examined nonverbal cognitive abilities and basic features of visual processing (visual discrimination attention/memory) by analyzing patterns of visual fixation in 44 girls with Rett syndrome, compared with typical control subjects. To determine features of visual fixation patterns, multiple pictures (with the location of the salient and presence/absence of novel stimuli as variables) were presented on the screen of a TS120 eye-tracker. Of the 44, 35 (80%) calibrated and exhibited meaningful patterns of visual fixation. They looked longer at salient stimuli (cartoon, 2.8 ± 2 seconds S.D., vs shape, 0.9 ± 1.2 seconds S.D.; P = 0.02), regardless of their position on the screen. They recognized novel stimuli, decreasing the fixation time on the central image when another image appeared on the periphery of the slide (2.7 ± 1 seconds S.D. vs 1.8 ± 1 seconds S.D., P = 0.002). Eye-tracking provides a feasible method for cognitive assessment and new insights into the "hidden" abilities of individuals with Rett syndrome.
AB - Consistently observed "strong eye gaze" has not been validated as a means of communication in girls with Rett syndrome, ubiquitously affected by apraxia, unable to reply either verbally or manually to questions during formal psychologic assessment. We examined nonverbal cognitive abilities and basic features of visual processing (visual discrimination attention/memory) by analyzing patterns of visual fixation in 44 girls with Rett syndrome, compared with typical control subjects. To determine features of visual fixation patterns, multiple pictures (with the location of the salient and presence/absence of novel stimuli as variables) were presented on the screen of a TS120 eye-tracker. Of the 44, 35 (80%) calibrated and exhibited meaningful patterns of visual fixation. They looked longer at salient stimuli (cartoon, 2.8 ± 2 seconds S.D., vs shape, 0.9 ± 1.2 seconds S.D.; P = 0.02), regardless of their position on the screen. They recognized novel stimuli, decreasing the fixation time on the central image when another image appeared on the periphery of the slide (2.7 ± 1 seconds S.D. vs 1.8 ± 1 seconds S.D., P = 0.002). Eye-tracking provides a feasible method for cognitive assessment and new insights into the "hidden" abilities of individuals with Rett syndrome.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2012.04.009
DO - 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2012.04.009
M3 - Article
C2 - 22704012
AN - SCOPUS:84862538638
SN - 0887-8994
VL - 47
SP - 25
EP - 29
JO - Pediatric Neurology
JF - Pediatric Neurology
IS - 1
ER -