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Motor synchronization and impulsivity in pediatric borderline personality disorder with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: an eye-tracking study of saccade, blink and pupil behavior

Authors :
Olivia G. Calancie
Ashley C. Parr
Don C. Brien
Jeff Huang
Isabell C. Pitigoi
Brian C. Coe
Linda Booij
Sarosh Khalid-Khan
Douglas P. Munoz
Source :
Frontiers in Neuroscience, Vol 17 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
Frontiers Media S.A., 2023.

Abstract

Shifting motor actions from reflexively reacting to an environmental stimulus to predicting it allows for smooth synchronization of behavior with the outside world. This shift relies on the identification of patterns within the stimulus – knowing when a stimulus is predictable and when it is not – and launching motor actions accordingly. Failure to identify predictable stimuli results in movement delays whereas failure to recognize unpredictable stimuli results in early movements with incomplete information that can result in errors. Here we used a metronome task, combined with video-based eye-tracking, to quantify temporal predictive learning and performance to regularly paced visual targets at 5 different interstimulus intervals (ISIs). We compared these results to the random task where the timing of the target was randomized at each target step. We completed these tasks in female pediatric psychiatry patients (age range: 11–18 years) with borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms, with (n = 22) and without (n = 23) a comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis, against controls (n = 35). Compared to controls, BPD and ADHD/BPD cohorts showed no differences in their predictive saccade performance to metronome targets, however, when targets were random ADHD/BPD participants made significantly more anticipatory saccades (i.e., guesses of target arrival). The ADHD/BPD group also significantly increased their blink rate and pupil size when initiating movements to predictable versus unpredictable targets, likely a reflection of increased neural effort for motor synchronization. BPD and ADHD/BPD groups showed increased sympathetic tone evidenced by larger pupil sizes than controls. Together, these results support normal temporal motor prediction in BPD with and without ADHD, reduced response inhibition in BPD with comorbid ADHD, and increased pupil sizes in BPD patients. Further these results emphasize the importance of controlling for comorbid ADHD when querying BPD pathology.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1662453X
Volume :
17
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Frontiers in Neuroscience
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.134b5c06f5c84847954c4aac5c34e616
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1179765