Authors: Preshanta Naicker Shailendra AnoopkumarDukie Gary D Grant Justin J Kavanagh
Publish Date: 2016/09/26
Volume: 234, Issue: 1, Pages: 63-71
Abstract
This study investigated the pharmacological effects of overthecounter anticholinergic medications on saccadic and smooth pursuit eye movements in order to establish the significance of central cholinergic pathways in the control of these centrally regulated oculomotor processesSixteen subjects mean age 23 ± 3 years 9 females performed prosaccadic antisaccadic and smooth pursuit eye movement tests while an eye tracker collected eye movement data Oculomotor assessments were performed preingestion 05 and 2 h postingestion of drugs with varying degrees of central anticholinergic properties The drugs tested were promethazine hyoscine hydrobromide hyoscine butylbromide and placeboThe drug intervention with stronger central anticholinergic properties promethazine decreased amplitude and increased velocity in the prosaccadic task and increased duration in the antisaccadic task Promethazine once again was the only drug to decrease eye velocity in the smooth pursuit testThe prominent effects of the stronger central anticholinergic promethazine on saccadic and smooth pursuit eye movements potentially conveys the significance of central cholinergic pathways in the control of these centrally regulated oculomotor processes
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