Aging and movement: variability of force pulses for saccadic eye movements

Age-related differences in the trajectories of saccadic eye movements were examined. Younger and older adult subjects produced saccades to predictable target locations. Detailed features of the movements were examined such as the time of peak acceleration and the variability in the magnitude of the peak velocity. These and other measures reveal important details of the force pulses underlying the eye movements and the mental mechanisms that control them. Although minor differences were apparent between the eye movements of younger and older adults, the general patterns were the same across age groups. These results suggest that fundamental details of the brain mechanisms involved in the control of movement are the same for younger and older adults.