Differing effects of prosaccades and antisaccades on postural stability

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomechanics
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Postural stability is crucial for daily activities.
• Oculomotor tasks can influence postural control.
• The impact of different eye movement types on balance requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how various eye movements affect postural stability.
• To compare the effects of fixation, prosaccade, and antisaccade tasks on balance control.

Main Methods:

• Ten healthy young adults participated.
• Postural control was assessed using the TechnoConcept© platform under Romberg conditions.
• Participants performed fixation, prosaccade, and antisaccade eye movement tasks.

Main Results:

• Saccadic eye movements (prosaccades and antisaccades) improved postural stability over fixation.
• Antisaccade tasks significantly reduced postural stability compared to prosaccade tasks.
• Results align with models suggesting task complexity influences postural control via attentional resources.

Conclusions:

• Eye movements, particularly saccades, modulate postural stability.
• Antisaccades impose a greater challenge on postural control than prosaccades.
• Attentional resource allocation is a key factor mediating the relationship between oculomotor activity and postural control.