In this study, our team investigates the influence of sex and age on eye movement metrics in a large cohort of 23,557 healthy adults, drawn from a dataset of 45,696 subjects. Recognizing the historical underrepresentation of females in medical research, the study aims to establish sex-specific normative data for eye movements, which can serve as biomarkers for neurological conditions.
Eye movements, regulated by neural mechanisms, are crucial indicators of brain function. However, past research has largely treated age and sex as confounding variables rather than independent factors influencing oculomotor performance. This study addresses these gaps by analyzing six key eye movement assessments: circular smooth pursuit, horizontal and vertical smooth pursuit, horizontal and vertical saccades, and fixation stability.
Key Findings:
- Sex Differences: Females exhibited better targeting accuracy in both horizontal and vertical saccades, whereas males demonstrated higher saccade velocity and smoother pursuit performance.
- Age Trends: Eye movement efficiency improved until early adulthood, then declined progressively with aging, with distinct patterns for horizontal and vertical eye movements.
- Normative Data: The study provides baseline data that can help differentiate normal physiological variations from pathological conditions in clinical assessments.
Clinical Implications:
The findings highlight the necessity of sex-specific biomarkers for diagnosing and monitoring neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and depression. Eye movement analysis can also improve precision medicine, allowing for more individualized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
