Oculomotor abnormalities in boys with tourette syndrome with and without ADHD.

OBJECTIVE

To assess saccadic eye movements in boys with Tourette syndrome (TS) with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), comparing performance with that of an age-matched group of male controls.

METHOD

Three different saccade tasks (prosaccades, antisaccades, and memory-guided saccades) were used to examine functions necessary for the planning and execution of eye movements, including motor response preparation, response inhibition, and working memory. The study included 14 boys with TS without ADHD (TS-only), 11 boys with TS and ADHD (TS+ADHD), and 10 male controls.

RESULTS

Latency of prosaccades was prolonged in boys with TS (both with and without ADHD) compared with controls. Variability in prosaccade latency was greater in the groups of boys with TS+ADHD compared with both the TS-only and control groups. Response inhibition errors on both the antisaccade task (directional errors) and memory-guided saccade task (anticipatory errors) were increased in boys with TS+ADHD compared with those with TS-only. There were no significant differences among the three groups in accuracy of memory-guided saccades.

CONCLUSIONS

Oculomotor findings suggest that TS is associated with delay in initiation of motor response as evidenced by excessive latency on prosaccades. Signs of impaired response inhibition and variability in motor response appear to be associated with the presence of ADHD.