Saccadic dysfunction in patients with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Abstract

Electrophysiological monitoring of saccadic eye movements in patients with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) was carried out. Externally guided saccades (prosaccades) were recorded using a patented hardware-software complex for studying the subject's physical activity. Recordings were performed in two independent experimental procedures - for saccades separately and when they were in coordination with the motion of head and hand. In both cases statistically significant differences in latent periods and durations of saccadic eye movements were noticed in HIE patients in comparison with healthy subjects of the same age group (p<0.05). Jerking and deviation of eyes after fixing the gaze on a target were often present in HIE participants. In some cases saccades of patients were asymmetrical among themselves. We found HIE induced changes in the parameters of autosaccades as well, expressed through the instability of gaze fixation periods, sometimes asymmetric eye movements, slow gaze shift from one target to another and disturbance of gaze stabilization (as jerking of the eyeballs during the saccadic period).