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Ruggiero G, Ruotolo F, Iachini T. How ageing and blindness affect egocentric and allocentric spatial memory. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 75:1628-1642. [PMID: 34670454 DOI: 10.1177/17470218211056772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Egocentric (subject-to-object) and allocentric (object-to-object) spatial reference frames are fundamental for representing the position of objects or places around us. The literature on spatial cognition in blind people has shown that lack of vision may limit the ability to represent spatial information in an allocentric rather than egocentric way. Furthermore, much research with sighted individuals has reported that ageing has a negative impact on spatial memory. However, as far as we know, no study has assessed how ageing may affect the processing of spatial reference frames in individuals with different degrees of visual experience. To fill this gap, here we report data from a cross-sectional study in which a large sample of young and elderly participants (160 participants in total) who were congenitally blind (long-term visual deprivation), adventitiously blind (late onset of blindness), blindfolded sighted (short-term visual deprivation) and sighted (full visual availability) performed a spatial memory task that required egocentric/allocentric distance judgements with regard to memorised stimuli. The results showed that egocentric judgements were better than allocentric ones and above all that the ability to process allocentric information was influenced by both age and visual status. Specifically, the allocentric judgements of congenitally blind elderly participants were worse than those of all other groups. These findings suggest that ageing and congenital blindness can contribute to the worsening of the ability to represent spatial relationships between external, non-body-centred anchor points.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gennaro Ruggiero
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality, CS-IVR, Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Caserta, Italy
| | - Francesco Ruotolo
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality, CS-IVR, Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Caserta, Italy
| | - Tina Iachini
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality, CS-IVR, Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Caserta, Italy
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Vu TA, Fenwick EK, Gan ATL, Man REK, Tan BKJ, Gupta P, Ho KC, Reyes-Ortiz CA, Trompet S, Gussekloo J, O'Brien JM, Mueller-Schotte S, Wong TY, Tham YC, Cheng CY, Lee ATC, Rait G, Swenor BK, Varadaraj V, Brenowitz WD, Medeiros FA, Naël V, Narasimhalu K, Chen CLH, Lamoureux EL. The Bidirectional Relationship between Vision and Cognition: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ophthalmology 2021; 128:981-992. [PMID: 33333104 DOI: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
TOPIC Visual impairment (VI) and cognitive impairment (CIM) are prevalent age-related conditions that impose substantial burden on the society. Findings on the hypothesized bidirectional association of VI and CIM remains equivocal. Hence, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine this bidirectional relationship. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Sixty percent risk of CIM has not been well elucidated in the literature. A bidirectional relationship between VI and CIM may support the development of strategies for early detection and management of risk factors for both conditions in older people. METHODS PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central registers were searched systematically for observational studies, published from inception until April 6, 2020, in adults 40 years of age or older reporting objectively measured VI and CIM assessment using clinically validated cognitive screening tests or diagnostic evaluation. Meta-analyses on cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between VI and CIM outcomes (any CIM assessed using screening tests and clinically diagnosed dementia) were examined. Random effect models were used to generate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We also examined study quality, publication bias, and heterogeneity. RESULTS Forty studies were included (n = 47 913 570). Meta-analyses confirmed that persons with VI were more likely to have CIM, with significantly higher odds of: (1) any CIM (cross-sectional: OR, 2.38 [95% CI, 1.84-3.07]; longitudinal: OR, 1.66 [95% CI, 1.46-1.89]) and (2) clinically diagnosed dementia (cross-sectional: OR, 2.43 [95% CI, 1.48-4.01]; longitudinal: OR, 2.09 [95% CI, 1.37-3.21]) compared with persons without VI. Significant heterogeneity was explained partially by differences in age, sex, and follow-up duration. Also, some evidence suggested that individuals with CIM, relative to cognitively intact persons, were more likely to have VI, with most articles (8/9 [89%]) reporting significantly positive associations; however, meta-analyses on this association could not be conducted because of insufficient data. DISCUSSION Overall, our work suggests that VI is a risk factor of CIM, although further work is needed to confirm the association of CIM as a risk factor for VI. Strategies for early detection and management of both conditions in older people may minimize individual clinical and public health consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tai Anh Vu
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Eva K Fenwick
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Alfred T L Gan
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Ryan E K Man
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Benjamin K J Tan
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Preeti Gupta
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Kam Chun Ho
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; School of Optometry and Visual Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Injury Division, The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia
| | - Carlos A Reyes-Ortiz
- Institute of Public Health, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Agricultural and Mechanical University, Florida
| | - Stella Trompet
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Joan M O'Brien
- Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Sigrid Mueller-Schotte
- University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tien Yin Wong
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Yih Chung Tham
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Ching-Yu Cheng
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Allen T C Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Greta Rait
- Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Bonnielin K Swenor
- Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Varshini Varadaraj
- Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Willa D Brenowitz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Felipe A Medeiros
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Eye Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Virginie Naël
- Université de Bordeaux, Inserm, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, Bordeaux, France
| | - Kaavya Narasimhalu
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; National Neuroscience Institute (Singapore General Hospital Campus), Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Christopher L H Chen
- Memory Aging and Cognition Center, Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Ecosse L Lamoureux
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
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