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document
Altered accuracy of saccadic eye movements in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder . BACKGROUND Prenatal exposure to alcohol is a major , preventable cause of neurobehavioral dysfunction in children worldwide . The measurement and quantification of saccadic eye movements is a powerful tool for assessing sensory , motor , and cognitive function . The quality of the motor process of an eye movement is known as saccade metrics . Saccade accuracy is 1 component of metrics , which to function optimally requires several cortical brain structures as well as an intact cerebellum and brain-stem . The cerebellum has frequently been reported to be damaged by prenatal alcohol exposure . This study , therefore , tested the hypothesis that children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder ( FASD ) will exhibit deficits in the accuracy of saccades . METHODS A group of children with FASD ( n = 27 ) between the ages of 8 and 16 and typically developing control children ( n = 27 ) matched for age and sex , completed 3 saccadic eye movement tasks of increasing difficulty . Eye movement performance during the tasks was captured using an infrared eye tracker . Saccade metrics ( e.g. , velocity , amplitude , accuracy ) were quantified and compared between the 2 groups for the 3 different tasks . RESULTS Children with FASD were more variable in saccade endpoint accuracy , which was reflected by statistically significant increases in the error of the initial saccade endpoint and the frequency of additional , corrective saccades required to achieve final fixation . This increased variability in accuracy was amplified when the cognitive demand of the tasks increased . Children with FASD also displayed a statistically significant increase in response inhibition errors . CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that children with FASD may have deficits in eye movement control and sensory-motor integration including cerebellar circuits , thereby impairing saccade accuracy .
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Intervention_Educational
saccadic eye movements
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Intervention_Educational
3 saccadic eye movement tasks
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Outcome_Physical
Saccade metrics
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Outcome_Physical
velocity
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Outcome_Physical
amplitude
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Outcome_Physical
accuracy
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Outcome_Physical
saccade endpoint accuracy
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Outcome_Physical
initial saccade endpoint
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Outcome_Physical
corrective saccades
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Outcome_Physical
accuracy
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Outcome_Physical
response inhibition errors