Eye Movement Parameters and Cognitive Functions in Older Adults

The Relationship Between Eye Movement Parameters and Cognitive Functions in Older Adults

Dementia most commonly occurs in elderly individuals, but currently there is still a lack of objective measurement methods that can detect cognitive impairment in older adults at an early stage. Eye movement is considered a clinical indicator with potential for screening mild cognitive dysfunction, and eye movement signals can be extracted to objectively evaluate cognition. Eye tracking has been used mostly to evaluate patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. However, less attention has been paid to the relationship between eye movement and cognitive function in elderly individuals, as well as the association between eye movement data and abnormal cognitive subdomains. This cross-sectional study will recruit 0204 elderly individuals over the age of 65, divided into three groups (healthy group/mild cognitive impairment group/dementia group) according to the purpose of this study. Participants who have not been diagnosed with neurological diseases (such as Parkinson's disease or stroke), or have mental illness or visual impairments will be excluded. This study hopes to provide empirical data on eye movement signals and cognitive function in healthy older individuals, as well as to serve as a preliminary study for future development of eye activity stimulation to improve cognitive function in older adults.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Cognitive Dysfunction

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 210

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Yen Chin CHEN, Associated professor; Phone Number: +886 7 5252000#7374; Email: yenchin2427@gmail.com

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
    • Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

A total of 210 participants will be recruited, with an estimated 70 individuals in each cognitive group.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

- Participants are aged 65 years or older and have completed a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in the outpatient clinic.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants are under 65 years of age or those who ar are unable to comply with study procedures.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

3

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Healthy group-patients with intact cognitive function
Mild cognitive impairment group-patients with mild cognitive impairment
Dementia group-patients with severe cognitive impairment

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Eye-tracking measurement	Eye movement behavior will be assessed as an objective measure of cognitive control in older adults. Eye-tracking data will be collected using the J7EF Gaze Smart Glasses (Jorjin Technologies), a non-invasive wearable eye-tracking system with a sampling frequency of 30 Hz. Participants will perform standardized visual tasks while eye movement behavior is recorded. Outcome measures will include task-related eye movement patterns, such as gaze behavior and saccadic performance, which reflect attentional control and higher-order cognitive processing. Alterations in these eye movement parameters have been associated with cognitive impairment. Eye movement measures will be used to characterize differences in cognitive function across participant groups.	A single assessment is conducted at one study visit (cross-sectional design).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)	The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a widely used cognitive screening tool originally developed by Folstein and McHugh in 1975 (Folstein et al., 1975). It consists of 30 items assessing six domains of cognitive function: orientation, attention, memory, language, verbal comprehension, praxis, and constructional ability. Higher scores indicate better cognitive function. A total score between 24 and 30 suggests intact cognitive function; scores between 18 and 23 are indicative of mild cognitive impairment; and scores from 0 to 17 reflect moderate to severe cognitive impairment. In the present study, the MMSE is used to classify adults aged 65 years and older into cognitive status groups, including a cognitively healthy group, a mild cognitive impairment (MCI) group, and a dementia group, based on established score thresholds.	A single assessment is conducted at one study visit (cross-sectional design).

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Eye-Tracking Task 1: Horizontal Fixation Task (HFT)	The FXS task is designed to measure fixation stability. Participants are instructed to fixate on a white dot, that appears sequentially at different screen locations: initially in the center, then alternately to the left and right sides of the screen.Each position is maintained for 5 seconds, during which participants are instructed to maintain their gaze on the white dot. The sequence proceeds as follows: Center (5 seconds), right side (5 seconds), left side (5 seconds), and return to center (5 seconds). The task duration is approximately 20 seconds.	A single assessment is conducted at one study visit (cross-sectional design).
Eye-Tracking Task 2: Vertical Fixation Task (VFT)	The Vertical Fixation Task is designed to assess vertical saccadic eye movements and fixation stability. A white fixation dot is sequentially displayed on a black background at specific vertical locations. The target is presented at the center of the screen and then alternates between upper and lower positions at 5-second intervals (center-upper-lower-center), with a total task duration of approximately 20 seconds.	A single assessment is conducted at one study visit (cross-sectional design).
Eye-tracking Task 3: Horizontal Pursuit Task (HPT)	The HPT is designed to evaluate participants' ability to perform smooth horizontal pursuit eye movements. A white dot then appears at the center of a black screen, prompting participants to fixate and track the dot continuously as it begins moving horizontally. The stimulus moves smoothly and repeatedly from left to right and back across the screen. Participants are instructed to visually follow the moving dot toward to left and right side without shifting their head position. The task duration is approximately 30 seconds.	A single assessment is conducted at one study visit (cross-sectional design).
Eye-Tracking Task 4: Vertical Pursuit Task (VPT)	The VPT is designed to evaluate participants' ability to perform smooth horizontal pursuit eye movements. A white dot then appears at the center of a black screen, prompting participants to fixate and track the dot continuously as it begins moving vertically. The stimulus moves smoothly and repeatedly from up to down across the screen. Participants are instructed to visually follow the moving dot toward to up and down side without shifting their head position. The task duration is approximately 30 seconds.	A single assessment is conducted at one study visit (cross-sectional design).
Eye-Tracking Task 5: Horizontal Saccade Task (HST)	The HST is designed to evaluate rapid, reflexive saccadic eye movements in response to abrupt horizontal target shifts. A white fixation dot appears at the center of the screen and then jumps alternately between the far left and far right positions. Participants are instructed to track the dot continuously from left to right for the entire duration of the task (approximately 30 seconds). Each positional shift is abrupt, requiring quick and accurate horizontal saccades.	A single assessment is conducted at one study visit (cross-sectional design).
Eye-Tracking Task 6: Vertical Saccade Task (VST)	The VST is designed to evaluate rapid, reflexive saccadic eye movements in response to abrupt horizontal target shifts. A white fixation dot appears at the center of the screen and then jumps alternately between the far up and far down positions. Participants are instructed to track the dot continuously from up to down for the entire duration of the task (approximately 30 seconds). Each positional shift is abrupt, requiring quick and accurate horizontal saccades.	A single assessment is conducted at one study visit (cross-sectional design).

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Sun Yat-sen University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Pereira ML, Camargo Mv, Aprahamian I, Forlenza OV. Eye movement analysis and cognitive processing: detecting indicators of conversion to Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2014 Jul 9;10:1273-85. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S55371. eCollection 2014.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): January 17, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 5, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 13, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): January 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 23, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 22, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Older adults; Eye movements; Cognitive function impairment
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurocognitive Disorders; Cognition Disorders; Cognitive Dysfunction
• Other Study ID Numbers: KSVGH24-CT10-11

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO