Saccadic eye movements in normal children from 8 to 15 years of age: A developmental study of visuospatial attention

Abstract

This cross-sectional study used saccadic eye movements, as measured by infrared occulography, to assess several aspects of visuospatial attention in normal children ages 8–15 years. Saccadic latency (a global measure of the ability to shift visuospatial attention), the ability to suppress extraneous saccades during fixation, and the ability to inhibit task-provoked anticipatory saccades all improve with age. However, the pattern of development differs for different tasks; saccadic latency shortens at a linear rate across the age range 8–15 years, while the capacity to inhibit anticipatory saccades matures by 12–13 years of age, and the ability to suppress saccades matures by 10 years of age. Analyses of age-related changes in oculomotor measures of attention may provide a novel approach in the study of children with attentional difficulties.