Abstract
A robust association between reduced visual acuity and cognitive function in older adults has been revealed in large population studies. The aim of this work was to assess the relation between stereoacuity, a key aspect of binocular vision, and inhibitory control, an important component of executive functions. Inhibition was tested using the antisaccade task in older adults with normal or reduced stereopsis (study 1), and in young adults with transiently reduced stereopsis (study 2). Older adults with reduced stereopsis made significantly more errors on the antisaccade task in comparison to those with normal stereopsis. Specifically, there was a significant correlation between stereoacuity and antisaccade errors (r = 0.27, p = 0.019). In contrast, there were no significant differences in antisaccade errors between the normal and reduced stereopsis conditions in the young group. Altogether, results suggest that the association between poorer stereopsis and lower inhibitory control in older adults might arise due to central nervous system impairment that affects the processing of binocular disparity and antisaccades. These results add to a growing body of literature, which highlights the interdependence of sensory and cognitive decline in older adults.
Highlights
Aging is associated with reduced physical strength, visual and hearing impairments, poorer memory, and lower scores on cognitive tests
The primary goal of the current study was to assess the association between stereoacuity and inhibitory control in a cohort of healthy, community-dwelling older adults
A secondary goal was to determine if a transient reduction in stereoacuity affects inhibitory control in young adults
Summary
Aging is associated with reduced physical strength, visual and hearing impairments, poorer memory, and lower scores on cognitive tests. These age-related changes were first documented in separate studies (Thompson, 2009; Owsley, 2011; Whitson et al, 2018); accumulating research has revealed a robust relation between visual and hearing deficits and lower performance on cognitive tests (Anstey et al, 2001b; Lin et al, 2004; Tay et al, 2006; Ong et al, 2012; Spierer et al, 2016; Chen et al, 2017; Ward et al, 2018). The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between stereoacuity and one aspect of executive functions, namely, inhibitory control
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