Fractionation of visuoperceptual dysfunction in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

There is considerable evidence that visuoperceptual function is impaired in Parkinson's disease although this view remains contentious. The issue is confounded by studies which have demonstrated impairment of visual sensation, in particular high-contrast visual acuity, in Parkinson's disease. We have measured the visuoperceptual performance of 16 patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease, both on and off drugs, and 16 age and sex matched control subjects on non-motor tests of visual resolution, static perception, and dynamic perception. Performance on the perceptual tasks was measured in terms of perceptual resolutions and was found impaired in the parkinsonian group. After removal of the contribution of poorer visual resolution, the overall visual perception remained impaired, although to a relatively subtle degree, such that the difference between the two groups on its static and dynamic components did not reach significance.