Impaired anticipatory vision and visuomotor coordination affects action planning and execution in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy

Publication date: September 2018
Source:Research in Developmental Disabilities, Volume 80
Author(s): Swati M. Surkar, Rashelle M. Hoffman, Brenda Davies, Regina Harbourne, Max J. Kurz
BackgroundAction-planning and execution deficits in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP) are potentially due to deficits in the integration of sensory information, such as vision, with motor output.AimsTo determine differences in anticipatory visual patterns in children with HCP compared to typically developing (TD) children, and to assess visuomotor coordination in children with HCP.Methods and proceduresWe included 13 children with HCP (Age = 6.8 + 2.9 yrs) and 15 TD children (Age = 5.8 + 1.1 yrs). The experimental task used in this study is a valid action-planning task, which consisted of initially reaching and grasping an object placed at a fixed position, followed by placing the object in a random target position. Visual patterns were recorded using a head-mounted eye-tracker system and arm movements were recorded using motion capture (120 Hz).Outcomes and resultsChildren with HCP had delayed anticipatory gaze time and longer latency than TD children during the planning and execution phases. Children with HCP also had a higher frequency of gaze shifts, longer reaction times (RT) and movement times (MT) than TD children.Conclusions and implicationsChildren with HCP may have deficits in anticipatory vision, which potentially affected planning and executing a goal-directed action. Therapeutic interventions focusing on improving visuomotor coordination may improve the motor performance in children with HCP.



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