1:15 PM, Wednesday 25 May 2022 EDT - 5 minutes

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) disorder is an inflammatory demyelinating autoimmune disease of the central nervous system [1]. The consequences of demyelination and subsequent axonal loss are manifested in thinning the retina layers. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique and used for the evaluation of thickness of the retinal layers, which is used for diagnosis of various diseases such as glaucoma [2,3] and MS [4].

Objectives: The goal of this study is to quantify the degree of atrophy in ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform (GCIPL) of MS patients using OCT and demonstrating the capability of functional shape (F-shape) registration method in improving MS diagnosis. 

Method: F-shape [5] is a promising method that is used to analyze variability in the shapes of inner limiting membrane and the thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer using OCT images in normal and glaucoma subjects. In this study, for the first time, F-shape is applied to quantify the variability in the thickness of GCIPL in normal and MS subjects.

Results: Experimental results demonstrate that the F-shape method can successfully differentiate MS subjects from the healthy ones. The results show that there is a significant thinning of GCIPL in MS subjects over that of the healthy ones.

Conclusion: F-shape enables us to improve diagnosis of MS compared to the traditional methods. This is due the fact that the method detects the thinning of GCIPL more accurately to the as well as due to the simultaneous consideration of geometry and variability of the thickness.

1:50 PM, Wednesday 25 May 2022 EDT - 5 minutes

Older adults have limited attentional capacity compared to younger adults and recruit attentional resources to compensate for age-related declines in sensory and motor functions, demonstrating increased cognitive resource sharing. To improve attentional resource sharing, cognitive-motor dual-task (CMDT) training research primarily pairs a motor task with an executive functioning task (memory, arithmetic). However, dynamic visual processing is rarely trained but is required to perform many real world CMDT tasks (e.g., street crossing). In this pilot study we aim to 1) evaluate the effects of visual attention training using multiple object tracking (MOT) on cognitive and motor outcomes, (2) compare dual-task performance outcomes between older adults with and without hearing loss, (3) examine the transfer of MOT training to working memory performance. Thirty older adults aged 60 years and older will undergo 4 weeks of computerized visual attention training in their homes either in a seated or standing position. Our general hypothesis is that MOT training will increase an individual's attentional resource capacity and their ability to distribute attentional resources across multiple tasks. Those with hearing loss are expected to show improvements in dual tasking following MOT training, suggesting improved attentional resource sharing. This research allows for the investigation of whether single or dual-task MOT training targets cognitive functions needed to enhance older adults' attentional resource allocation that would lead to improvements in CMDT.