Pontine lesions may cause selective deficits of "slow" vergence eye movements.
To address the role of pontine nuclei in vergence control, eye movements to ramp ('slow vergence') and step targets ('fast vergence') were recorded in two patients with unilateral mediolateral pontine infarctions and in ten healthy controls. 'Slow' vergence and conjugate smooth pursuit eye movements were impaired while 'fast' vergence was not. We conclude that like smooth pursuit signals, vergence signals are distributed in the pontine nuclei.
Rambold
H
H
Department of Neurology, University of Luebeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Luebeck, Germany. Holger.Rambold@neuro.uni-luebeck.de
Neumann
G
G
Sander
T
T
Helmchen
C
C
D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain; D010291:Paresis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011149:Pons / Q000473:pathology*