title: Age-related changes of vergence under natural viewing conditions.
abstract: Vergence eye movements were recorded with the scleral search-coil system in 32 healthy subjects (ages 19-73 years) to characterize the age-related effects on the dynamic parameters of vergence responses to step (transient components) and ramp or sinusoidal targets (sustained components) under natural viewing conditions. Transient vergence showed an age-related increase in latency and decreases in peak velocity and acceleration in the binocular stimulus condition but not in accommodative vergence. Sustained vergence showed no age-related effect in the binocular condition, but there was an age-related decrease in accommodative vergence steady-state velocity and an increase in latency. Age-related changes of the transient and sustained components were very similar to those reported for saccades and smooth pursuit; they thus might support a distinction between a sustained and transient vergence system. Furthermore, such age-related effects have to be taken into account when assessing eye movement disorders in neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Luebeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23538 Luebeck, Germany. holger.rambold@neuro.uni-luebeck.de
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rambold
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Thurid
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sander
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Helmchen
mesh_terms: D000065:Accommodation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003290:Convergence, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D015348:Vision, Binocular / Q000502:physiology*