title: Co-regulation of movement speed and accuracy by children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure.
abstract: The study investigated how children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure regulate movement speed and accuracy during goal-directed movements. 16 children ages 7 to 17 years with confirmed histories of heavy in utero alcohol exposure, and 21 nonalcohol-exposed control children completed a series of reciprocal tapping movements between two spatial targets. 5 different targets sets were presented, representing a range of task difficulty between 2 and 6 bits of information. Estimates of percent error rate, movement time, slope, and linear fit of the resulting curve confirmed that for goal-directed, reciprocal tapping responses, performance of the group with prenatal alcohol exposure was described by a linear function, as predicted by Fitts' law, by sacrificing movement accuracy. The index of performance was the same for the two groups: it initially increased, then leveled off for more difficult movements.
authors.affiliation: School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA. rsimmons@mail.sdsu.edu
authors.forename: Roger W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: Naju J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Madra
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Edward P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: Sarah N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Mattson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol