Neuropsychological and quantitative oculometric study of a case of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease at predementia stage

Abstract

A quantitative assessment of eye movements and a detailed neuropsychological profile were conducted at predementia stage in a patient who later had histological confirmation of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). The patient was a middle aged man who presented with abnormal eye movements and poor balance. Neuropsychological deficits suggested orbito-mesial dysfunction, resembling progressive supranuclear palsy. Oculometry showed accurate but dramatically slowed saccades, with normal pursuit movements. Neuropsychology and quantitative oculometry may be of value in the differential diagnosis and earlier detection of dementia-akinetic-rigid syndromes; in particular, because of the highly stereotyped nature of saccades, routine quantitative oculometry can reveal significant impairment at a very early stage in some cases and could thus facilitate earlier diagnosis.