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Updated: May 5, 2026
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Published on: July 14, 2016
Saccades improve postural control: a developmental study in normal children
Layla Ajrezo1, Sylvette Wiener-Vacher, Maria Pia Bucci
1Vestibular and Oculomotor Evaluation Unit, ORL Dept., 75019 Robert Debré Paediatric Hospital, Paris, France ; UMR 676, INSERM- Université Paris 7, Hôpital Robert Debré, Paris, France.
Insights
Children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Dual-tasking significantly impacts children's postural stability.
- Oculomotor tasks, specifically saccadic eye movements, are explored for their effect on posture.
- Simultaneous recording of eye movements and posture in a large pediatric cohort.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of oculomotor tasks on postural stability in children.
- To examine the developmental maturation of neural circuits controlling both eye movements and posture.
- To identify interactions between the oculomotor and postural systems during childhood.
Main Methods:
- Ninety-five healthy children aged 5.8 to 17.6 years participated.
- Postural control assessed using a force platform; eye movements recorded via video oculography.
- Tasks included target fixation and horizontal saccades, measuring saccade latency and fixation quality.
Main Results:
- Age correlated with decreased saccade latency and improved fixation quality.
- Postural sway reduced with age.
- Dual-tasking (saccades) significantly decreased postural sway compared to fixation alone.
Conclusions:
- Evidence of neural circuit maturation for posture and eye movements in children.
- Demonstrated interaction between oculomotor and postural systems.
- Oculomotor engagement leads to reduced postural sway in children.
Introduction:
Dual-task performance is known to affect postural stability in children. This study focused on the effect of oculomotor tasks like saccadic eye movements on postural stability, studied in a large population of children by recording simultaneously their eye movements and posture.
Materials And Methods:
Ninety-five healthy children from 5.8 to 17.6 years old were examined. All children were free of any vestibular, neurological, ophtalmologic and orthoptic abnormalities. Postural control was measured with a force platform TechnoConcept®, and eye movements with video oculography (MobilEBT®). Children performed two oculomotor tasks: fixation of a stable central target and horizontal saccades. We measured the saccade latency and the number of saccades during fixation as well as the surface, length and mean velocity of the center of pressure.
Results:
During postural measurement, we observed a correlation between the age on the one hand and a decrease in saccade latency as well as an improvement in the quality of fixation on the other. Postural sway decreases with age and is reduced in the dual task (saccades) in comparison with a simple task of fixation.
Discussion - Conclusion:
These results suggest a maturation of neural circuits controlling posture and eye movements during childhood. This study also shows the presence of an interaction between the oculomotor system and the postural system. Engaging in oculomotor tasks results in a reduction of postural sway.
