The way the eyes wander around the world can contain signs of how memory is working. Researchers have analyzed patterns of eye movements in youth and elderly and concluded that small changes, almost imperceptible, may be linked to cognition and memory problems.
According to the Scientific Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), where the study has been published, changes in the pathways can help identify difficulties in the way the brain processes and keeps information.
Tests with different groups
The investigators resorted to eye monitoring tests, involving young and elderly participants. Among the volunteers, some already had diagnoses of conditions that affected memory. This diversity has made it possible to compare the influence of age and brain health on visual standards.
Two distinct experiences were performed. In one of the tests, the participants observed unique images. In the other, the same images were repeated, which helped perceive how the brain reacted to novelty and how it adapted to the family member.
The results showed that people with more fragile memory followed very similar visual trajectories of image for image. Instead of exploring different details, they were repetitively settled at the same points, without capturing the full set of what they were to do. According to the authors, this lack of dispersion in the eye suggests a limitation on the exploratory capacity of the brain.
Relationship between eyes and hippocampus
Previous studies had already associated the eye movement with the hippocampus, the brain area responsible for memory processes. In this new work, it was observed that the smaller the function of memory, the narrower the visual pattern of the participants became. The look became less adaptive and less differentiated.
Although researchers do not advance with definitive explanations for this phenomenon, they make open the possibility that changes in the center of the memory can be reflected in the eyes. In practical terms, this may mean that a simple record of the way someone looks at an image could, in the future, serve as an early warning sign for memory problems.
Potential for early detection of dementia
Although still far from clinical application, this type of analysis can become a simpler and more economic alternative than brain exams or long questionnaires. According to the study’s authors, natural look patterns can be used as sensitive markers of cognitive decline, including diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Conclusions reinforce a growing line of investigation that seeks early signs of eye disease. In addition to the way the look moves, characteristics such as the retina and the pupil had been studied. But this work adds a new dimension to detection: the silent trajectory of the eyes.
According to these findings can make the way to innovative early diagnostic tools, capable of revealing what the brain prefers to hide.
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