OCULAR MOTOR FUNCTION IN HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE

我们研究的长期目标是更好地理解 正常和异常眼球运动和前庭的机制 在亨廷顿病(HD)中的作用。我们最近的研究表明 HD患者在产生“意志力”方面存在选择性缺陷 眼跳(例如，反眼跳和预测性眼跳)以及 抑制不想要的反射性眼跳，以回应新的刺激。 本提案的第一个目标是开发更微妙的方法 测试和量化更高级别的跳动控制以及 追踪眼球运动。将测试一种新的扫视模式，以测量 在进行扫视序列时的扫视幅度和潜伏期 一系列看到或记住的目标。我们还将比较增益和 平稳追逐动作的时机，以产生更具反射性的刺激 反应(全场刺激的突然移动) 产生更具意志力的反应(跟踪在 视觉丰富的背景)。我们预计HD患者将出现更多的缺陷 意志上的追求。第二个目标是评估进一步的体位和 HD患者的前庭控制。使用移动平台 姿势描记，我们将测量HD患者和 将结果与前庭-眼反射测量结果进行比较。我们 将检验HD患者共济失调与 前庭信息中枢加工障碍。我们所有的人 测试结果将与神经学测试的结果相关联 以及心理功能和核磁共振检查。

The long-term objective of our research is to better understand the mechanisms underlying both normal and abnormal ocular motor and vestibular function in Huntington's Disease (HD). Our recent research has shown that patients with HD have selective deficits in generating "volitional" saccades (e.g. antisaccades and predictive saccades) as well as defects in suppression of unwanted reflexive saccades in response to novel stimuli. The first aim of the present proposal is to develop more subtle ways of testing and quantifying the higher level control of saccadic and also pursuit eye movements. A new saccade paradigm will be tested that measures the amplitude and latency of saccades while making sequences of saccades to a series of seen or remembered targets. We will also compare the gain and timing of smooth pursuit movements to stimuli that produce a more reflexive response (sudden movement of a full field stimulus) with stimuli that produce a more volitional response (tracking of a small target moving on a visually rich background). We expect HD patients to show deficits in more volitional pursuit. The second aim is to evaluate further postural and vestibular control in patients with HD. Using moving platform posturography, we will measure postural control in patients with HD and compare the results with measurement of their vestibulo-ocular reflex. We will test the hypothesis that the ataxia of HD patients is related to a disorder of central processing of vestibular information. All of our testing results will be correlated with results of tests of neurological and psychological function and MRI studies.