Correlation of abnormal eye movements and functional neuroimaging in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 12 patients as compared to healthy control

Motivation: Functional neuroimaging analysis of oculomotor abnormality, specifically of gaze shifts and drift in spinocerebellar ataxia type 12 will help in understanding the dysfunction. Goal(s): To understand the abnormality in eye movemant based on fMRI analysis. Approach: Simultaneous task-based fMRI and eye-tracking data were collected with MR-compatible binocular LCD goggles in 40 SCA12 patients and 25 controls. Task and eye movement abnormality was correlated. Results: SCA12 group significantly alterations were observed in eye movement patterns, including ocular drift and pupil reactivity. Compared with control subjects, SCA12 had significantly greater more function network activation in the reflexive saccadic task. Impact: Correlation of abnormal eye movements and functional neuroimaging in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 12.