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Visual evoked potentials in children with developmental coordination disorder
M A Mon-Williams1, R T Mackie, D L McCulloch
1Department of Vision Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK.
Insights
Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) showed no visual pathway differences. While VEPs were harder to record in DCD patients, their visual processing speed was similar to controls, ruling out visual pathway issues.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects children's skilled movement without physical handicap.
- Accurate diagnosis of DCD is crucial for appropriate intervention and support.
- Understanding the underlying neurological factors in DCD is essential for targeted treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the integrity of the visual pathway in children with DCD using visually evoked potentials (VEPs).
- To investigate if neurological lesions affecting visual input contribute to DCD.
- To compare visual pathway function between children with DCD and a healthy control group.
Main Methods:
- Visually evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded in 14 children (5-7 years) diagnosed with DCD.
- An age-matched control group was used for comparison.
- Binocular pattern onset VEPs with high contrast grating stimuli were employed to measure implicit times.
Main Results:
- VEPs were more challenging to record in the DCD group due to inattention and movement artifacts, leading to smaller amplitudes.
- No significant differences in implicit times of VEPs were found between children with DCD and the control group.
- This suggests the afferent visual pathway's integrity is not a primary causal factor in DCD.
Conclusions:
- The study indicates that visual pathway integrity is unlikely to be a direct cause of DCD.
- Further research is needed to pinpoint the specific neurological deficits underlying DCD.
- VEP analysis, despite technical challenges, provides valuable insights into visual processing in DCD.
Abstract:
Children who demonstrate problems with skilled movement in the absence of physical handicap are formally designated as suffering from developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Diagnosis of DCD was confirmed by the 'movement assessment battery for children'. Visually evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded to evaluate the integrity of the visual pathway and to rule out the presence of any neurological lesions affecting visual input. Binocular, pattern onset VEPs were recorded in 14 children with DCD aged between five and seven years, and an age-matched control group using pattern onset, high contrast, grating stimuli. Implicit times to the first and second peaks and troughs were measured, and results between the two groups were compared. Inattention and movement artefact meant that VEPs were more difficult to record within the DCD group, resulting in smaller amplitudes of the waveform, but no significant differences in the implicit times were observed between the DCD group and controls. Further research is required to determine the specific source of the neurological deficits in DCD but a problem with the integrity of the afferent visual pathway does not appear to be a causal factor.