Faculty Collaboration Database

Age-related differences in eye movements and the association with Archimedes spiral tracing performance in young and older adults. Exp Brain Res 2025 Jan 29;243(2):53

Date

01/29/2025

Pubmed ID

39878801

DOI

10.1007/s00221-025-07001-2

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85217273599 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)

Abstract

Age-related hand motor impairments may critically depend on visual information though few studies have examined eye movements during tasks of hand function in older adults. The purpose of this study was to assess eye movements and their association with performance while tracing on a touchscreen in young and older adults. Eye movements of 21 young (age 20-38 years; 12 females, 9 males) and 20 older (65-85 years; 10 females, 10 males) adults were recorded while performing an Archimedes spiral tracing task, a common clinical assessment sensitive to age-associated impairments in hand function. Participants traced an Archimedes spiral template on a touchscreen as accurately as possible under three conditions, using (1) a stylus, (2) the index finger, and (3) the index finger while performing a visuospatial dual task. Older adults made fewer total fixations than young adults, and participants made fewer fixations when tracing parts of the spiral where vision of the spiral template was likely more obstructed by the hand. Inter-fixation distance and inter-fixation distance variability were greater in older compared to young adults. A relationship between increased inter-fixation distance and increased spiral tracing error demonstrates the association between age-related changes in eye movements and spiral tracing performance in older adults. Results contribute novel findings of age-associated changes in ocuomotor behavior during a common clinical assessment and offer insight into motor control in older adults.

Author List

Heintz Walters B, Huddleston WE, O'Connor KM, Wang J, Hoeger Bement M, Keenan KG

Authors

Marie Hoeger Bement MPT,PhD Associate Professor in the Physical Therapy department at Marquette University
Jinsung Wang PhD Assistant Professor in the Human Movement Sciences department at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
Eye Movements
Female
Hand
Humans
Male
Psychomotor Performance
Young Adult