title: Speedy eye movements in multiple sclerosis: association with performance on visual and nonvisual cognitive tests.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Eye movement difficulties in multiple sclerosis (MS) are common and may influence performance on cognitive tests. The following studies examined associations between a new measure of speedy eye movement speed and visual/nonvisual cognitive tests.
  
  
  METHODS
  In Experiment 1, MS patients (N = 71) were administered cognitive tests and the Speedy Eyes Test (SET) as a measure of purposeful speedy eye movements under timed conditions. Experiment 2 was composed of MS patients (n = 60) and a neurologically healthy comparison group (n = 31) and examined group differences in an abbreviated version of the SET.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In both studies, slower eye movements were significantly associated with poorer performance on cognitive tests with a large effect size in Experiment 1 and a medium effect size in Experiment 2. Analyses in Experiment 2 also revealed significant group differences in an abbreviated measure of the SET, where MS patients had slower eye movements than the comparison group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pending further research, the SET, a brief, inexpensive, and nontechnical measure of speedy eye movement, may serve as a visual/oculomotor indicator of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Missouri-Kansas City , Kansas City , MO , USA.
authors.forename: Brandon L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Roberg
authors.forename: Jared M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: H Todd
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Feaster
authors.forename: Sean R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: O'Bryan
authors.forename: Holly J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Westervelt
authors.forename: Morgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glusman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001244:Association; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015835:Ocular Motility Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D014706:Verbal Learning; D014787:Vision Tests; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cognition; Multiple sclerosis; Neuropsychology; Ocular movements; Visual acuity