Dr. Zoï Kapoula, Directeur de Recherche - CNRS, Université Paris Descartes, to speak at ECE NTUA, Monday 15 May, 2017, 12:00 pm (Hall 1.1.31, Old ECE building)
ABSTRACT: Eye movement semiology used to be a handy tool for diagnosis of neurological diseases and pathologies; today such diagnostic use of eye movements is restricted to vestibular pathology and perhaps strabismus. However, eye movement analysis can still be useful to understand and follow-up the evolution of pathologies and dysfunctions. I will focus on saccades and vergence eye movements, particularly their latency. In the first part of my talk, I will show how rehabilitation of vergence with a research based method leads to an optimization not only of the latency of vergence but also of the latency of saccades, and of fixation durations during reading. In the second part of my talk, I will focus on the study of latencies of saccades and of vergence in dementia patients (Alzheimer dementia, or dementia with Lewy body, or patients with no clear dementia diagnosis); the potential role of eye movement latency for the differential diagnosis and for following up the evolution of the disease will be discussed. I will point the importance of complex systems approach including time series data analysis from such patients.
SHORT BIOGRAPHY: Zoï KAPOULA is Research Director at the CNRS in the field of cognitive neurosciences. She is responsible of a team whose program focuses on the neurophysiopathology of binocular eye movements in direction and in depth, in relation to vision and brain function, a team founded in 1992 by Zoï Kapoula at the Collège de France, now part of the Federations of Neurosciences at University Paris Descartes (FR3636 – IRIS). Zoï Kapoula is responsible of hospital research programs on eye movements in patients (PHRC), one devoted to children with vertigo (hospital Robert Debré, PHRC VERVE), the other on eye movement behaviour in patients with Alzheimer versus patients with dementia with Lewy body (PHRC OculoMacl, Salpêtrière). She directs the national GDR ESARS (Groupement de REcherche ESthétique Art & Sciences) at the CNRS; she develops a novel research axis on neurophysiology of aesthetics, including eye movement and postural studies in museums. She holds several patents on neurorehabilitation method based on eye movement learning (e.g. US 20120320336,A1). Her transfer of technology projects from laboratory to clinic are currently supported by the SATT Lutech, and by the BPI (AIMA) and the creation of a startup is planned for the end of 2017.
Fondation Paris Descartes website : http://fondation.parisdescartes.fr/regard-et-motricite-binoculaire/