INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 04 Program Schedule 02/15/2024 12:00 pm - 01:15 pm Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120) Poster Session 04: Neuroimaging \| Neurostimulation/Neuromodulation \| Teleneuropsychology/Technology Final Abstract #116 Evaluating the use of Eye Tracking as a Language- and Culturally-Neutral Cognitive Assessment for use Across Diverse Groups Rachel Yep, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada Alexander Nyman, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada Georgia Gopinath, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada Madeline Wood, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada Donald Brien, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada Brian Coe, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada Christopher Pople, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada Douglas Munoz, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada Jennifer Ryan, Baycrest, Toronto, Canada Sandra Black, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada Maged Goubran, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada Jennifer Rabin, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada Category: Assessment/Psychometrics/Methods (Adult) Keyword 1: cognitive functioning Keyword 2: cross-cultural issues Keyword 3: technology Objective: Canada and the United States are both rapidly aging and becoming increasingly diverse. Despite this demographic shift, non-White racial/ethnic groups remain underrepresented in research on cognitive impairment and dementia. A significant barrier is the lack of cognitive tests that are valid in individuals from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Eye tracking tasks may overcome this limitation since they robustly measure cognition while minimizing language demands and cultural influences. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of eye tracking tasks as language- and culturally-neutral cognitive assessments in healthy adults from diverse language backgrounds. Participants and Methods: 51 adults (age range=55-84; mean age=69.02; 68% female) enrolled in the Canadian Multi-Ethnic Research on Aging (CAMERA) study were included in the analysis. Participants had sufficient English proficiency for study procedures and were free from frank cognitive impairment. 16 participants acquired English as a first language (EFL) and 35 acquired English as a secondary language (ESL). Participants completed a battery of standard neuropsychological tests and two well-characterized video-based eye tracking tasks: the interleaved pro/anti-saccade task (IPAST) and the visual paired comparison task (VPC). The IPAST assesses processing speed and executive function while the VPC assesses visual memory. Standardized performance metrics from both the neuropsychological and eye tracking assessments were adjusted for age, sex, and years of education before being entered into separate exploratory factor analyses to identify latent variables underlying performance. Results: Exploratory factor analysis identified three factors for the neuropsychological test battery: executive function/processing speed, visual memory, and language. Four factors were identified for the eye tracking tasks: attention, visual memory, inhibitory control, and executive function. The executive function factors derived from the two assessment types showed a modest association, both across groups (r=-0.375, p=0.009), and within groups (EFL: r=-0.385, ESL: r=-0.295). There was also a trend towards an association between the eye tracking attention factor and the neuropsychological visual memory factor (r=-0.271, p=0.062). No other associations between the neuropsychological and eye tracking factors were significant (p>0.05). Next, we compared the neuropsychological and eye tracking factors between the EFL and ESL groups. Interestingly, the only factor that differed between groups was the language factor, derived from the neuropsychological tests, such that scores were lower in the ESL group (U=131, p=0.015). In the ESL group, language scores were strongly associated with self-reported proficiency in reading (r=0.483, p=0.004), speaking (0.532, p=0.001), and understanding (r=0.455, p=0.007) English. Conclusions: Establishing tools that accurately access cognition across diverse groups is essential to improve our understanding of cognitive impairment and dementia in understudied populations. Here we demonstrate the potential of eye tracking tasks, such as the IPAST and VPC, to provide a brief and language-free assessment of cognition in healthy adults from diverse language backgrounds. Our results indicated that measures of cognition derived from these tasks were comparable across EFL and ESL groups and align with standard neuropsychological tests. With further validation in larger samples, eye tracking tasks may provide a valuable way to screen and monitor cognitive impairment across diverse groups currently underrepresented in research.

Poster

02/15/2024
12:00 pm - 01:15 pm
Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120)

Poster Session 04: Neuroimaging | Neurostimulation/Neuromodulation | Teleneuropsychology/Technology

Final Abstract #116

Evaluating the use of Eye Tracking as a Language- and Culturally-Neutral Cognitive Assessment for use Across Diverse Groups

Rachel Yep, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
Alexander Nyman, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
Georgia Gopinath, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
Madeline Wood, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
Donald Brien, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
Brian Coe, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
Christopher Pople, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
Douglas Munoz, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
Jennifer Ryan, Baycrest, Toronto, Canada
Sandra Black, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
Maged Goubran, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
Jennifer Rabin, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada

Category: Assessment/Psychometrics/Methods (Adult)

Keyword 1: cognitive functioning
Keyword 2: cross-cultural issues
Keyword 3: technology

Objective:

Canada and the United States are both rapidly aging and becoming increasingly diverse. Despite this demographic shift, non-White racial/ethnic groups remain underrepresented in research on cognitive impairment and dementia. A significant barrier is the lack of cognitive tests that are valid in individuals from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Eye tracking tasks may overcome this limitation since they robustly measure cognition while minimizing language demands and cultural influences. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of eye tracking tasks as language- and culturally-neutral cognitive assessments in healthy adults from diverse language backgrounds.

Participants and Methods:

51 adults (age range=55-84; mean age=69.02; 68% female) enrolled in the Canadian Multi-Ethnic Research on Aging (CAMERA) study were included in the analysis. Participants had sufficient English proficiency for study procedures and were free from frank cognitive impairment. 16 participants acquired English as a first language (EFL) and 35 acquired English as a secondary language (ESL). Participants completed a battery of standard neuropsychological tests and two well-characterized video-based eye tracking tasks: the interleaved pro/anti-saccade task (IPAST) and the visual paired comparison task (VPC). The IPAST assesses processing speed and executive function while the VPC assesses visual memory. Standardized performance metrics from both the neuropsychological and eye tracking assessments were adjusted for age, sex, and years of education before being entered into separate exploratory factor analyses to identify latent variables underlying performance.

Results:

Exploratory factor analysis identified three factors for the neuropsychological test battery: executive function/processing speed, visual memory, and language. Four factors were identified for the eye tracking tasks: attention, visual memory, inhibitory control, and executive function. The executive function factors derived from the two assessment types showed a modest association, both across groups (r=-0.375, p=0.009), and within groups (EFL: r=-0.385, ESL: r=-0.295). There was also a trend towards an association between the eye tracking attention factor and the neuropsychological visual memory factor (r=-0.271, p=0.062). No other associations between the neuropsychological and eye tracking factors were significant (p>0.05). Next, we compared the neuropsychological and eye tracking factors between the EFL and ESL groups. Interestingly, the only factor that differed between groups was the language factor, derived from the neuropsychological tests, such that scores were lower in the ESL group (U=131, p=0.015). In the ESL group, language scores were strongly associated with self-reported proficiency in reading (r=0.483, p=0.004), speaking (0.532, p=0.001), and understanding (r=0.455, p=0.007) English.

Conclusions:

Establishing tools that accurately access cognition across diverse groups is essential to improve our understanding of cognitive impairment and dementia in understudied populations. Here we demonstrate the potential of eye tracking tasks, such as the IPAST and VPC, to provide a brief and language-free assessment of cognition in healthy adults from diverse language backgrounds. Our results indicated that measures of cognition derived from these tasks were comparable across EFL and ESL groups and align with standard neuropsychological tests. With further validation in larger samples, eye tracking tasks may provide a valuable way to screen and monitor cognitive impairment across diverse groups currently underrepresented in research.