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Ocular motor measures of visual processing changes in visual snow syndrome
Emma J Solly1, Meaghan Clough1, Allison M McKendrick1
1From the Department of Neuroscience (E.J.S., M.C., P.F., O.B.W., J.F.), Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne; and Department of Optometry & Vision Sciences (A.M.M.) and Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital (O.B.W.), The University of Melbourne, Australia.
Patients with visual snow syndrome (VSS) show objective visual processing changes, including faster prosaccade (PS) responses and more antisaccade (AS) errors. These findings may help identify a behavioral signature for VSS.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Visual snow syndrome (VSS) is a neurological condition characterized by persistent visual disturbances.
- Objective measures are needed to understand the pathophysiology of VSS and evaluate treatments.
- Ocular motor tasks can reveal deficits in visual processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To objectively evaluate cortical processing changes in VSS patients using ocular motor tasks.
- To identify quantifiable performance measures in VSS.
- To differentiate VSS from healthy controls and explore potential biomarkers.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-four VSS patients and 23 controls performed prosaccade (PS), antisaccade (AS), and interleaved AS-PS tasks.
- Performance metrics included reaction time (latency) and error rates.
- Switch costs were analyzed in the AS-PS task.
Main Results:
- VSS patients exhibited significantly shorter PS latencies and higher AS error rates compared to controls.
- These differences were consistent across different task demands.
- A correlation between faster PS latencies and more AS errors was observed in VSS patients.
Conclusions:
- Objective and quantifiable visual processing changes were identified in VSS.
- The findings suggest a speeded PS response rather than impaired executive function in VSS.
- This PS latency and AS error pattern may serve as a behavioral signature for VSS, aiding in understanding and treatment evaluation.
