Visual perception and cognitive functioning in MCI and mild Alzheimer’s disease
A cross-sectional study protocol from the DEM-VIS study in Germany
Publication date
2025-08-06
Document type
Forschungsartikel
Author
Roloff, Jessica
Stemmler, Mark
Graessel, Elmar
Krakat, Leonie
Weis, Johanna
Lehfeld, Hartmut
Organisational unit
Project
DEM-VIS
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Series or journal
BMJ Open
ISSN
Periodical volume
15
Periodical issue
8
Article ID
e096950
Peer-reviewed
✅
Part of the university bibliography
✅
Language
English
Abstract
Introduction: Visual perception is a fundamental skill that plays a central role in sensing the external environment. Deficits can lead to impairments in everyday activities. Visual perception is known to be impaired in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the extent to which visual perception is impaired in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), often a prodromal state of AD, has not been sufficiently investigated. This study aims to assess visual perceptual abilities in people with MCI and mild AD compared with healthy controls. It will also investigate whether executive functions, activities of daily living and intelligence are affected in this context, providing new insights into the research of visual perception together with MCI and mild AD.
Methods and analysis: People with MCI, mild AD and healthy controls will be assessed for cognitive deficits using the Syndrom-Kurztest (SKT). Visual perceptual performance will be assessed using the German version of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception-Adolescent and Adult: Second Edition (DTVP-A:2; Frostings Entwicklungstest der visuellen Wahrnehmung – Jugendliche und Erwachsene 2. Auflage). Activities of daily living will be assessed through the Erlangen Test of Activities of Daily Living in Persons with Mild Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment (ETAM) and the Bayer Activities of Daily Living Scale (B-ADL). Executive functions will be measured using the German adaptation of the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Adult (BRIEF-A) and intelligence will be assessed using the Matrix Reasoning and Vocabulary Test of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV). Data analysis will involve descriptive analyses, linear regression analyses, multivariate analysis of variance, mediation analysis and structural equation modelling.
Ethics and dissemination: This study has received approval from the Ethics Committee of Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Germany (number: 2023_009). Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international conferences.
Trial registration number: Registered at OSF https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/PM5AV
Methods and analysis: People with MCI, mild AD and healthy controls will be assessed for cognitive deficits using the Syndrom-Kurztest (SKT). Visual perceptual performance will be assessed using the German version of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception-Adolescent and Adult: Second Edition (DTVP-A:2; Frostings Entwicklungstest der visuellen Wahrnehmung – Jugendliche und Erwachsene 2. Auflage). Activities of daily living will be assessed through the Erlangen Test of Activities of Daily Living in Persons with Mild Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment (ETAM) and the Bayer Activities of Daily Living Scale (B-ADL). Executive functions will be measured using the German adaptation of the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Adult (BRIEF-A) and intelligence will be assessed using the Matrix Reasoning and Vocabulary Test of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV). Data analysis will involve descriptive analyses, linear regression analyses, multivariate analysis of variance, mediation analysis and structural equation modelling.
Ethics and dissemination: This study has received approval from the Ethics Committee of Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Germany (number: 2023_009). Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international conferences.
Trial registration number: Registered at OSF https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/PM5AV
Description
This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
Cite as
Roloff J, Stemmler M, Graessel E, et al. Visual perception and cognitive functioning in MCI and mild Alzheimer’s disease: a cross-sectional study protocol from the DEM-VIS study in Germany. BMJ Open 2025;15:e096950. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2024-096950
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