Comparison of prism adaptation effects in children, younger adults, and older adults

Research Objectives: Spatial neglect is a common attention disorder after stroke. It is important to develop treatment plans that can be used across the lifespan. Prism adaptation is a promising treatment for spatial neglect. This study is the first to investigate prism adaptation effects across the lifespan as a first step towards the validation of a home-friendly protocol (Peg-the-Mole app).

Design: This study used a mixed-model design. Participants were randomly assigned to the use of the Peg-the-Mole app with 15-degree rightward deviating goggles (experimental condition) or 5-degree rightward deviating goggles (active control condition). Each participant alternated between using the app with prism and clear goggles to allow for repeated adaptation.

Setting: The study was conducted in a research laboratory at Acadia University.

Participants: 128 healthy participants were enrolled in the study. Forty participants were between the ages of 8 to 13 (child group), 44 were between the ages of 18 and 30 (younger adult group), and 44 were between the ages of 60 and 80 (older adult group).

Interventions: The exposure task was an interactive software (Peg-the-Mole). Participants performed pointing movements towards a Surface Pro after being instructed to rapidly touch the location where a cartoon mole holding a bull’s eye target was presented on the screen. Participants completed 3 blocks of 63 adaptation trials (with prism goggles) and 2 blocks of deadaptation trials (with sham goggles).

Main Outcome Measures: A proprioceptive-guided pointing straight ahead task, a proprioceptive-and-visual pointing straight ahead task, and a balance task were administered before and after each exposure block.

Results: Post prism adaptation, children experienced larger after-effects compared to younger and older adults (p < 0.05). During Peg-the-Mole, younger adults experienced larger direct effects and steeper adaptation rates compared to children and older adults.

Conclusions: Slower visuomotor learning may ultimately result in larger remapping process, which has important implications for the use of the Peg-the-Mole app as a treatment for spatial neglect across the lifespan.

Author(s) Disclosures: No conflict of interest.