Tag Archives: data

Here is an interesting article I just read regarding how certain eye movements are events of certain specific brain areas:

2017 Dec;222(9):4163-4185. doi: 10.1007/s00429-017-1461-8. Epub 2017 Jun 23.

Delineating function and connectivity of optokinetic hubs in the cerebellum and the brainstem.

Abstract

Optokinetic eye movements are crucial for keeping a stable image on the retina during movements of the head. These eye movements can be differentiated into a cortically generated response (optokinetic look nystagmus) and the highly reflexive optokinetic stare nystagmus, which is controlled by circuits in the brainstem and cerebellum. The contributions of these infratentorial networks and their functional connectivity with the cortical eye fields are still poorly understood in humans. To map ocular motor centres in the cerebellum and brainstem, we studied stare nystagmus using small-field optokinetic stimuli in the horizontal and vertical directions in 22 healthy subjects. We were able to differentiate ocular motor areas of the pontine brainstem and midbrain in vivo for the first time. Direction and velocity-dependent activations were found in the pontine brainstem (nucleus reticularis, tegmenti pontis, and paramedian pontine reticular formation), the uvula, flocculus, and cerebellar tonsils. The ocular motor vermis, on the other hand, responded to constant and accelerating velocity stimulation. Moreover, deactivation patterns depict a governing role for the cerebellar tonsils in ocular motor control. Functional connectivity results of these hubs reveal the close integration of cortico-cerebellar ocular motor and vestibular networks in humans. Adding to the cortical concept of a right-hemispheric predominance for visual-spatial processing, we found a complementary left-sided cerebellar dominance for our ocular motor task. A deeper understanding of the role of the cerebellum and especially the cerebellar tonsils for eye movement control in a clinical context seems vitally important and is now feasible with functional neuroimaging.

5 weeks ago I examined a 9 year old boy on the autism spectrum. He is amazing. He is similar to the Rain Man. He can calculate numbers and birthdates quickly. However, when he walked in my office for the initial 2 hour evaluation and treatment, he walked right up to me, shoved his middle finger in my face and said, "F**K YOU!" I thought, "Finally, an extrovert! I know what to do with this." I told his mom that there was nothing he could do to make me embarrassed or shame her or him. He proceeded to shout, "F**K YOU!" I said, "Say, "Thank you. I love you."" This continued throughout the visit. He said, "I'm going to take you into my van, cut you into a million pieces, and murder you!" I kept saying, "Say thank you. I love you." We actually got through the exam and treatment. On the next visit, his mom said he had an amazing day after the treatment. After cursing at me and his mom during treatment, at the end of the fourth visit, he calmly sat down on the trampoline in the office, and said, "Mom, I'm really sorry for all those terrible things I said." After the 6th visit, his mom texted to tell me that her son was sitting at the dinner table with the family having a conversation (that never happens) and the he was telling her he wanted to buy her a gift! He also was asking his grandma questions about her life. (You need a right cortex to think about others and plan the future). At the seventh visit, the boy had an actual response in his right medial pupil for the first time. When he came in on the next visit, he bounded in and jumped onto the trampoline. As he was jumping, he said, "Aren't you glad I don't say F You anymore?" I said yes. Then he said, "Aren't you glad I don't have a T-shirt on that says F You?" I couldn't stop laughing. He now repeats after me when I tell him to repeat positive affirmations like, "I am a genius applying my wisdom" and "I have perfect brain balance." You know what............he is a genius. He was just trapped by his brain.