Abstract
INTRODUCTION: We developed a tool for objective quantification of apathy.
METHODS: Participants (n = 97; 67 with cognitive impairment, 30 cognitively normal;
mean age = 74.3 ± 6.2 years, 56.7% females) were exposed to emotional and cogni-
tive stimuli in a virtual reality environment. Gaze metrics (time to first fixation [TTFF]
and total fixation duration [TFD]) and autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity were
measured. Apathy and depression were clinically assessed using the Lille Apathy Rating
Scale short version and the Geriatric Depression Scale 15-item version, respectively.
Cutoffs of ≥ –7 and ≥ 5 were used to define apathy and depression, respectively.
RESULTS: The sample comprised 14 participants with apathy only, 9 with depres-
sion only, 10 with both, 63 with neither, and 1 with missing data. For all emotional
stimuli, participants with apathy only showed longer TTFF (P = 0.039, effect sizes
[ES] = 0.798), and shorter TFD (P = 0.023, ES = 0.578) compared to those without
apathy or depression. ANS reactivity was not associated with apathy.
DISCUSSION: Apathy is associated with decreased gaze engagement at emotional
stimuli.
Authors
Ravona‐Springer, R., Koren, O., Galor, N., Lapid, M., Bahat, Y., Fluss, R., ... & Plotnik, M.
https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.70020