Eye tracking in Pick disease as contrasted to Alzheimer disease

Abstract

The authors report normal smooth pursuit eye tracking from a patient with pathologically confirmed Pick disease. This is contrasted to the abnormal pursuit tracking found in a group of nine Alzheimer patients, each of the same severity of dementia as the Pick patient, and to a group of 15 normal elderly controls. The Alzheimer patients demonstrated saccadic pursuit whereas the Pick patient showed smooth ocular pursuit. The parieto-occipital cortex, the area from which ocular smooth pursuit is believed to originate, is spared in Pick disease, but not in Alzheimer disease. Monitoring of ocular pursuit may differentiate Pick disease from Alzheimer disease.

Key Words:

• saccadic pursuit
• Pick disease
• Alzheimer disease
• smooth pursuit eye movements