Visual Cues Study

A researcher at Grand Valley State University has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how Alzheimer's patients rely upon visual cues to navigate their environments.   Alzheimer's causes vision problems in approximately 60% of patients.  So, this study will hopefully explain what the patients with compromised vision are relying upon to identify where they are and how to get where they want to go.  It has already been found that strong visual contrast can impact how much an Alzheimer's patient consumes in food and beverages.

This study may not be of benefit to the patients with posterior cortical atrophy because a different mechanism is in play.  Posterior cortical atrophy, an atypical variety of Alzheimer's, is a bit different in the impact to the patient's vision.  With this form, there is disruption between what the eyes see and what the brain interprets.  Author Terry Pratchett has this form of Alzheimer's.