Smooth pursuit in twins before and after alcohol ingestion

Abstract

Purpose. The influence of genetic factors on characteristics of smooth pursuit were evaluated in young adult monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins before and after the administration of a single dose of ethanol. Methods. Sinusoidal pursuit was recorded using a scleral search coil at frequencies of 0.25 and 0.5 Hz before and after alcohol consumption. Pursuit gain, interval between saccades, saccadic accuracy, and saccadic amplitude were quantified. Results. Alcohol consumption reduced pursuit gain and saccadic accuracy and increased the rate and amplitude of saccades. Before and after alcohol consumption, the intraclass correlations for MZ twins (rMZ) were highly significant for pursuit ..