Prosaccade and Antisaccade Behavior in Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome Progression
Yingratana A McLennan1,2, Matthew W Mosconi3, Forrest J McKenzie4
1The MIND Institute University of California Davis Medical Center Sacramento California USA.
Background:
Quantitative measurement of eye movements can reveal subtle progression in neurodegenerative diseases.
Objective:
To determine if quantitative measurements of eye movements may reveal subtle progression of fragile X-associated tremor and ataxia (FXTAS).
Methods:
Prosaccade (PS) and antisaccade (AS) behavior was analyzed in 25 controls, 57 non-FXTAS carriers, and 46 carriers with FXTAS.
Results:
Symptomatic individuals with FXTAS had longer AS latencies, increased rates of AS errors, and increased AS dysmetria relative to non-FXTAS carriers and controls. These deficits, along with PS latency and velocity, were greater in advanced FXTAS stages.
Conclusion:
AS deficits differentiated FXTAS from non-FXTAS premutation carriers implicating top-down control and frontostriatal deterioration. However, the absence of group differences between non-FXTAS carriers and controls in AS and PS markers suggests saccade performance may not be a sensitive enough measure for detecting conversion to FXTAS, but instead more helpful as translational biomarkers of FXTAS progression.
