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Slowly alternating skew deviation: Description of a pretectal syndrome in three patients
Author(s) -
Corbett James J.,
Schatz Norman J.,
Shults W. Thomas,
Behrens Myles,
Berry Richard G.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410100608
Subject(s) - skew , pretectal area , medicine , neuroscience , physics , psychology , midbrain , astronomy , central nervous system
Three patients who had slowly alternating skew deviation are described: each had elements of the Sylvian aqueduct syndrome. This combination of signs supports a pretectal location for lesions associated with alternating skew movements. Postmortem examination of a patient who died of chronic herpes simplex encephalitis showed extensive demyelination and periaqueductal spongiform degeneration; there was preservation of the oculomotor and trochlear nuclei, the medial longitudinal fasciculus, vestibular nuclei, and the interstitial nucleus of Cajal bilaterally. The slowly alternating dysconjugate vertical movements bear a resemblance to both see‐saw nystagmus and the ocular tilt response.