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Eye tracking as a digital biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases
Giacomini PS, Voss P, Devonshire V, Schneider R, Macaron G, Hussein S, Blanchette F, de Villers-Sidani É.. Journal of neurology, 2026-02-10
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Oculomotor abnormalities are a common finding in neurodegenerative diseases due to degeneration of neural pathways and brain regions involved in controlling eye movements. Pathological changes to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, superior colliculus and cerebellum produce subtle changes in eye-movement metrics that may not be detected by clinical examination. The present review addresses the potential use of eye-movement biomarkers in neurodegenerative conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Eye-movement metrics such as saccades, anti-saccades, fixation and smooth pursuit are prognostic of disease progression, can differentiate pathologic subtypes as an aid to diagnosis, and enable clinicians to evaluate early worsening of motor and cognitive function. The cost of medical technologies limits their optimal use and accessibility in clinical practice. The shortage of subspecialist neurologists further limits access to care. New eye-tracking technologies incorporated into widely-accessible digital devices such as smart phones and tablets now permit detailed assessments with minimal equipment requirements, providing an important non-invasive and potentially cost-effective method for patient evaluation in routine clinical practice and as an aid to treatment decision-making. Digital biomarkers can be readily employed by healthcare professionals such as family physicians, nurses and pharmacists to bridge the care gaps, potentially providing them with powerful tools that can be broadly adopted to improve the delivery of care to patients with neurodegenerative conditions.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Giacomini, P. S., Voss, P., Devonshire, V., Schneider, R., Macaron, G., Hussein, S., et al. (2026). Eye tracking as a digital biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases. Journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-026-13666-8
Vancouver
Giacomini PS, Voss P, Devonshire V, Schneider R, Macaron G, Hussein S, et al. Eye tracking as a digital biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases. Journal of neurology. 2026. doi:10.1007/s00415-026-13666-8. PMID: 41665706.
BibTeX
@article{giacomini2026-41665706,
author = {Giacomini, P. S. and Voss, P. and Devonshire, V. and Schneider, R. and Macaron, G. and Hussein, S. and Blanchette, F. and É, de Villers-Sidani},
title = {{Eye tracking as a digital biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases}},
journal = {Journal of neurology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1007/s00415-026-13666-8},
pmid = {41665706},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-026-13666-8}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Eye-movement metrics such as saccades, anti-saccades, fixation and smooth pursuit are prognostic of disease progression, can differentiate pathologic subtypes as an aid to diagnosis, and enable clinicians to evaluate early worsening of motor and cognitive function.
- The cost of medical technologies limits their optimal use and accessibility in clinical practice.
- The shortage of subspecialist neurologists further limits access to care.
- New eye-tracking technologies incorporated into widely-accessible digital devices such as smart phones and tablets now permit detailed assessments with minimal equipment requirements, providing an important non-invasive and potentially cost-effective method for patient evaluation in routine clinical practice and as an aid to treatment decision-making.
- Digital biomarkers can be readily employed by healthcare professionals such as family physicians, nurses and pharmacists to bridge the care gaps, potentially providing them with powerful tools that can be broadly adopted to improve the delivery of care to patients with neurodegenerative conditions.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 27 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 47 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41665706) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 27 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 27 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 47 out of 100. |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
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