A DEVELOPMENTAL-STUDY OF SMOOTH-PURSUIT EYE-MOVEMENTS IN NORMAL-CHILDREN FROM 7 TO 15 YEARS OF AGE

Objective: To examine age-related changes in smooth pursuit tracking. Method: Using infrared occulography, smooth pursuit eye movements are examined in 53 normal 7- to 15-year-old children during 6-degrees and 12-degrees/second visual pursuit. In addition to smooth pursuit gain a nd saccadic frequency, measures of mean amplitude per second are intro duced to facilitate comparison across age and target speed. Results: T he 6-degrees/second task is found to be easier than the 12-degrees/sec ond task. Age is correlated with smooth pursuit system performance but not saccadic system performance during 12-degrees/second pursuit. No measure correlates with age during 6-degrees/second pursuit. Conclusio ns: Eye movements improve as children age. The future use of smooth pu rsuit eye movements to study children and adolescents with and at risk for schizophrenia must control for developmental changes.