Instabilities in Eye Movement Control: A Model of Periodic Alternating Nystagmus

Abstract

Nystagmus is a pattern of eye movement characterized by smooth rota(cid:173) tions of the eye in one direction and rapid rotations in the opposite di(cid:173) rection that reset eye position. Periodic alternating nystagmus (PAN) is a form of uncontrollable nystagmus that has been described as an un(cid:173) stable but amplitude-limited oscillation. PAN has been observed previ(cid:173) ously only in subjects with vestibulo-cerebellar damage. We describe results in which PAN can be produced in normal subjects by prolonged rotation in darkness. We propose a new model in which the neural cir(cid:173) cuits that control eye movement are inherently unstable, but this insta(cid:173) bility is kept in check under normal circumstances by the cerebellum. Circumstances which alter this cerebellar restraint, such as vestibulo(cid:173) cerebellar damage or plasticity due to rotation in darkness, can lead to PAN.

Cite

Text

Dow and Anastasio. "Instabilities in Eye Movement Control: A Model of Periodic Alternating Nystagmus." Neural Information Processing Systems, 1997.

Markdown

[Dow and Anastasio. "Instabilities in Eye Movement Control: A Model of Periodic Alternating Nystagmus." Neural Information Processing Systems, 1997.](https://mlanthology.org/neurips/1997/dow1997neurips-instabilities/)

BibTeX

@inproceedings{dow1997neurips-instabilities,
  title     = {{Instabilities in Eye Movement Control: A Model of Periodic Alternating Nystagmus}},
  author    = {Dow, Ernst R. and Anastasio, Thomas J.},
  booktitle = {Neural Information Processing Systems},
  year      = {1997},
  pages     = {138-144},
  url       = {https://mlanthology.org/neurips/1997/dow1997neurips-instabilities/}
}