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Development of voluntary control of saccadic eye movements. I. Age-related changes in normal children
J Fukushima1, T Hatta, K Fukushima
1Department of Physical Therapy, College of Medical Technology, Hokkaido University, West 5, North 12, Sapporo, Japan. jf002@cme.hokudai.ac.jp
Insights
Children
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Voluntary control of eye movements, specifically saccades, matures throughout childhood.
- Understanding saccadic development is crucial for identifying neurological maturation.
- Previous research indicates significant developmental changes in eye movement control during childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental trajectory of voluntary saccadic eye movement control in children.
- To compare saccadic performance in children versus adults using visually guided and antisaccade tasks.
- To explore the impact of auditory warning signals on saccadic control in developing individuals.
Main Methods:
- Examined eye movements in 99 healthy children aged 4-13 years.
- Utilized visually guided saccade and antisaccade tasks with central fixation and peripheral target presentation.
- Assessed the effect of an auditory warning stimulus on saccadic latency and accuracy.
Main Results:
- Children exhibited longer saccadic latencies and higher error rates in antisaccade tasks compared to adults.
- Saccadic latency and antisaccade error rates decreased with age, reaching adult levels around age 12.
- Peak saccadic velocities were comparable between children and adults, suggesting early brainstem development.
Conclusions:
- Saccadic control development is protracted, with delayed maturation of the cerebral cortex, particularly frontal areas.
- Early development of the saccadic burst generator contrasts with later maturation of cortical control mechanisms.
- Findings highlight the importance of frontal lobe development for voluntary eye movement control and attentional processes.
Abstract:
To investigate the development of the voluntary control of saccadic eye movement, we examined eye movements in 99 normal children (4-13 years of age). Subjects were asked to fixate a central light for 3-5 s. A target was then presented, either to its right or left. In visually guided saccades, the mean latencies of the child group were longer than those of the adults, and decreased with age until the age of 12 where they reached adult levels. On the other hand, their peak saccadic velocities were not different from those of the adults. In the antisaccade task, they showed a higher rate of directional errors, indicating an inability to suppress reflexive saccades to the target. Mean latencies of correct antisaccades were significantly longer in the children than in the adults. Error rates and antisaccadic latency tended to decrease with age. We also examined the effects of an auditory warning signal during the fixation period and compared the results with those without. The warning stimulus was less effective in children than in adults in both tasks. Similar peak saccadic velocities between children and adults suggest the earlier development of the saccadic burst generator in the brainstem. In contrast, the delayed development of latency of saccades and antisaccades and the error rates of antisaccades suggest delayed maturation of the cerebral cortex, particularly the frontal association areas that are involved in both eye movement control and attentional processes.