Quantification of smooth pursuit dysfunction in multiple sclerosis.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neurology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Smooth pursuit eye movement dysfunction is a frequent but often undetected clinical sign in multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Quantifying these subtle neurological deficits is crucial for accurate diagnosis and monitoring disease progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and quantify smooth pursuit eye movement performance in individuals with MS.
• To compare smooth pursuit metrics between MS patients and healthy controls using a novel assessment tool.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the NeuroFitONE™ system to measure smooth pursuit performance.
• Compared eye movement data from 20 MS patients against 19 healthy control participants.

Main Results:

• MS patients exhibited a lower proportion of smooth pursuit compared to controls (0.63 vs. 0.73, p=0.047).
• Participants with MS showed increased directional (10.1° vs. 8°, p=0.014) and speed noise (4.3°/sec vs. 3.1°/sec, p=0.021).
• Reduced initiation acceleration was observed in MS patients (96.83°/sec² vs. 115.33°/sec², p=0.061), with correlations to clinical scores (EDSS, T25-FW).

Conclusions:

• Smooth pursuit eye movement abnormalities in MS are quantifiable using the NeuroFitONE™ system.
• These quantified deficits effectively differentiate individuals with MS from healthy controls.
• Objective measurement of smooth pursuit dysfunction offers a valuable tool for MS assessment.