HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Blekher, T. Articles by Yee, R. D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Blekher, T. Articles by Yee, R. D.

Eye Movements in Parkinson’s Disease: Before and After Pallidotomy

From the Departments of ¹ Ophthalmology and ² Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis; and the ³ School of Orthoptics, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia.

PURPOSE. To evaluate the effects of unilateral, stereotactic, posteroventral pallidotomy on saccadic eye movements in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).

METHODS. Eye movements of 31 patients with moderate to advanced PD were recorded with an infrared system 1 month before and 3 months after pallidotomy. Two kinds of saccade tasks were used: saccade tasks for eliciting visually guided saccades and saccade tasks for eliciting internally mediated saccades (memory-guided, predictive, and anti-saccades). Latency, accuracy, peak velocity, and other parameters of saccades were evaluated.

RESULTS. Internally mediated saccades were more impaired in patients with advanced PD compared with those with moderate PD. Pallidotomy did not affect visually guided saccades. After pallidotomy, the peak saccadic velocity of internally mediated saccades decreased.

CONCLUSIONS. Hence, although pallidotomy has led to improvements in other motor functions, none were observed in saccadic responses. Rather, several modest decrements, below the level of clinical significance and all in internally mediated saccades, were observed.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. J. Leigh and C. Kennard Using saccades as a research tool in the clinical neurosciences Brain, March 1, 2004; 127(3): 460 - 477. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. Biousse, B. C. Skibell, R. L. Watts, D. N. Loupe, C. Drews-Botsch, and N. J. Newman Ophthalmologic features of Parkinson's disease Neurology, January 27, 2004; 62(2): 177 - 180. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]