Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1979 Oct;42(10):934–939. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.42.10.934

Clinical signs of visual-vestibular interaction.

G M Halmagyi, M A Gresty
PMCID: PMC490367  PMID: 315999

Abstract

Visual suppression of vestibulo-ocular reflexes (induced vestibular nystagmus) differs between normal subjects and patients with various neurological disorders. Abnormalities of VOR suppression were associated consistently with abnormalities of the visual and/or vesitibular oculomotor reflexes and in particular with abnormal smooth pursuit eye movements in the direction of abnormal suppression. Absent VOR suppression in a gaze position of, and in the same direction as, a spontaneous nystagmus was found exclusively in patients with spontaneous nystagmus of central nervous system origin. Conversely, ability to suppress in these circumstances was found only in patients with spontaneous nystagmus of peripheral labyrinthine origin. Suppression of VOR was abnormal ipsilaterally in patients with unilateral cerebral hemisphere lesions and abnormal in both the horizontal and vertical planes in patients with basal ganglia lesions. Failure of VOR suppression in the absence of spontaneous nystagmus indicates a supratentorial lesion.

Full text

PDF
934

Images in this article

935Image
on p.935

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alpert J. N. Failure of fixation suppression: a pathologic effect of vision on caloric nystagmus. Neurology. 1974 Sep;24(9):891–896. doi: 10.1212/wnl.24.9.891. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baloh R. W., Honrubia V., Sills A. Eye-tracking and optokinetic nystagmus. Results of quantitative testing in patients with well-defined nervous system lesions. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1977 Jan-Feb;86(1 Pt 1):108–114. doi: 10.1177/000348947708600119. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Barnes G. R., Sommerville G. P. Visual target acquisition and tracking performance using a helmet-mounted sight. Aviat Space Environ Med. 1978 Apr;49(4):565–572. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Benson A. J., Barnes G. R. Vision during angular oscillation: the dynamic interaction of visual and vestibular mechanisms. Aviat Space Environ Med. 1978 Jan;49(1 Pt 2):340–345. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Benson A. J., Guedry F. E., Jr Comparison of tracking-task performance and nystagmus during sinusoidal oscillation in yaw and pitch. Aerosp Med. 1971 Jun;42(6):593–601. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. CARMICHAEL E. A., DIX M. R., HALLPIKE C. S., HOOD J. D. Some further observations upon the effect of unilateral cerebral lesions on caloric and rotational nystagmus. Brain. 1961 Dec;84:571–584. doi: 10.1093/brain/84.4.571. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dichgans J., von Reutern G. M., Römmelt U. Impaired suppression of vestibular nystagmus by fixation in cerebellar and noncerebellar patients. Arch Psychiatr Nervenkr (1970) 1978 Dec 14;226(3):183–199. doi: 10.1007/BF00341710. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gresty M., Leech J. Coordination of the head and eyes in pursuit of predictable and random target motion. Aviat Space Environ Med. 1977 Aug;48(8):741–744. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hood J. D. Electro-nystagmography. J Laryngol Otol. 1968 Mar;82(3):167–183. doi: 10.1017/s0022215100068651. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ito M., Nisimaru N., Yamamoto M. Specific patterns of neuronal connexions involved in the control of the rabbit's vestibulo-ocular reflexes by the cerebellar flocculus. J Physiol. 1977 Mar;265(3):833–854. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1977.sp011747. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lisberger S. G., Fuchs A. F. Role of primate flocculus during rapid behavioral modification of vestibuloocular reflex. I. Purkinje cell activity during visually guided horizontal smooth-pursuit eye movements and passive head rotation. J Neurophysiol. 1978 May;41(3):733–763. doi: 10.1152/jn.1978.41.3.733. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Takemori S., Cohen B. Loss of visual suppression of vestibular nystagmus after flocculus lesions. Brain Res. 1974 Jun 7;72(2):213–224. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(74)90860-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Takemori S. Visual suppression test. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1977 Jan-Feb;86(1 Pt 1):80–85. doi: 10.1177/000348947708600113. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Zee D. S. Suppression of vestibular nystagmus. Ann Neurol. 1977 Feb;1(2):207–207. doi: 10.1002/ana.410010223. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES