| Abstract [eng] |
This dissertation examines the value of visual perception, special visual phenomena, and visual memory disorders in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. The study assessed color recognition memory, the McCollough and Watercolor effects, computerized time and movement estimation (the Time–Wall task), mental rotation, and visual object and space perception (VOSP). Participants included cognitively healthy older adults, patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease, and patients with mild Alzheimer’s dementia. Associations between visual test performance, other cognitive test results, and clinical characteristics were examined, and the diagnostic properties of the visual tests were evaluated. Color recognition memory, Time–Wall performance, and VOSP silhouettes, number location, and cube analysis scores differed significantly from control-group results as early as the mild cognitive impairment stage. The Time–Wall task showed strong diagnostic performance, while color recognition memory and VOSP tests demonstrated good diagnostic properties. Changes in the McCollough and Watercolor effects were more pronounced at the mild dementia stage and suggested functional alterations in visual perception. These findings indicate that simple, largely language-neutral tests of visual perception and visual memory may complement the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and support clinical assessment. |
