Convergence retraction nystagmus: A disorder of vergence?

Holger Rambold*, Detlef Koandmpf, Christoph Helmchen

*Corresponding author for this work
21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The pathological mechanism of convergence retraction nystagmus (CRN) is not known. To determine whether CRN is a disorder of vergence or of the saccadic system, the scleral search coil technique was used to record binocularly the three-dimensional components of CRN in a patient with a left mesencephalic infarction involving the nucleus of the posterior commissure and the rostral interstitial nucleus of the medial longitudinal fascicle. CRN had disconjugate horizontal and torsional components. The horizontal amplitude/velocity relationship of CRN aligned with the main sequence of vergence responses of normal control subjects but not with that of saccades. Vergence responses of the right eye and left eye were not asynchronous. The slow phases of CRN showed an exponential decay with a time constant of 70 milliseconds. Thus, CRN is probably a disorder of vergence rather than of opposing adducting saccades.

Original languageEnglish
JournalAnnals of Neurology
Volume50
Issue number5
Pages (from-to)677-681
Number of pages5
ISSN0364-5134
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12.11.2001

Research Areas and Centers

  • Academic Focus: Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM)

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