Schedule of Events | Symposia

Exploring the Eye Dynamics of People with bvFTD and Apathy in Ecological Settings

Poster Session A - Saturday, March 29, 2025, 3:00 – 5:00 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Claire Berner¹ (claireliseberner@gmail.com), Elena Karpinski¹, Julie Behenská¹, Richard Levy¹, Karim N’Diaye¹, Monica N. Toba^1,2, Bénédicte Batrancourt¹; ¹Paris Brain Institute (ICM)Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute – ICM, Inserm, CNRS AP-HP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France., ²Laboratory of Functional Neurosciences (UR UPJV 4559), University Hospital of Amiens and University of Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France

Introduction: The behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) impairs social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral functioning, with apathy—a core symptom—leading to diminished motivation and purposeful behaviors (Rascovsky et al., 2011; Levy and Dubois, 2006). The ECOCAPTURE initiative at the ICM studies apathy's pathophysiology and digital biomarkers, previously demonstrating (ECOCAPTURE@LAB, Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03272230) that apathy in bvFTD impairs exploratory and goal-directed behaviors, through reduced exploration in a waiting room with cameras and sensors (Batrancourt et al., 2019). Methods: Building on these findings, this study uses eye-tracking to refine the apathy signature in bvFTD, assessing visual exploration in ECOCAPTURE@LAB. We hypothesized that higher apathy correlates with reduced visual exploration and engagement, and examined the relationship between gaze dynamics, the Starkstein Apathy Scale, and structural MRI analyses linking ocular dynamics to frontal eye fields (FEF), a key region for saccadic movements. Results: bvFTD patients exhibited an overall lower saccade frequency and reduced gaze efficiency than controls, suggesting impaired visual exploration linked to FEF atrophy. Greater variability in saccade frequency among bvFTD participants indicated inefficient exploration that may superficially appear as high exploration but lacks goal intent. Correlation analyses revealed contrasting trends: controls had a non-significant negative correlation between apathy and saccade frequency, while bvFTD patients exhibited a significant positive correlation, potentially reflecting self-report biases from anosognosia or inefficient visual exploration. Conclusion: This study highlights eye-tracking as an objective and quantitative tool for investigating apathy and its behavioral impacts, offering deeper insights when paired with neuroimaging.

Topic Area: EXECUTIVE PROCESSES: Development &aging