Eye Blinks, Neurocognition, and Sleepiness in Alzheimer’s Disease – The BLINKS-AD Study

Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment are often associated with excessive daytime sleepiness, yet current methods for objectively measuring sleepiness are time-consuming and expensive. 

While there is evidence that spontaneous eye blink can provide an accessible and cost-effective measure of sleepiness, this has not been studied in people living with mild cognitive impairment and Alzhiemer's disease. 

This study aims to evaluate the utility of spontaneous eye blinks as a measure of sleepiness and how explore how sleepiness is related with cognitive functioning. 

People who meet the following criteria may be eligible to participate: 

• aged 50 to 90 years old
• are cognitively healthy OR 
• have an existing diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment OR 
• have an existing diagnosis of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

This study contains three phases:

• Phase 1: Initial contact and initial questionnaire questionnaires (approximately 15 minutes)
• Phase 2: At-home sleep monitoring using a wrist worn activity monitor. (approximately 1 week)
• Phase 3: Ocular based tasks and cognitive assessments - completed during a single in-laboratory session (approximately 1 to 1.5 hours).