Evidence of normal cerebellar control of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) in children with high-functioning autism.
The effect of "tilt-suppression" on post-rotatory vestibular nystagmus was investigated to assess the function of the caudal cerebellar vermis (lobules IX and X, or nodulus and uvula) in 13 school-age children with high-functioning autism (HFA) and 10 normal controls. Tilt-suppression of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) refers to the decreasing of the duration of post-rotatory vestibular nystagmus that occurs when the head is moved out of the plane in which it was located during the previous sustained constant-velocity rotation. The participant is rotated in a vestibular chair with the head upright and then the head is tilted forward just after the chair stops rotating. Such tilt-suppression is impaired with lesions of the cerebellar nodulus and portions of the uvula. Results show that children with HFA have normal post-rotatory nystasmus with the head upright and normal attenuation of post-rotatory nystagmus induced by head tilt. These behavioral findings suggest that lobules IX and X of the cerebellum are spared in high-functioning autism.
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.
M C
MC
Goldberg
R
R
Landa
A
A
Lasker
L
L
Cooper
D S
DS
Zee
D000293:Adolescent; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009760:Nystagmus, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology; D012027:Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires