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Effect of 4‐Aminopyridine on Upbeat and Downbeat Nystagmus Elucidates the Mechanism of Downbeat Nystagmus
Author(s) -
GLASAUER STEFAN,
STRUPP MICHAEL,
KALLA ROGER,
BÜTTNER ULRICH,
BRANDT THOMAS
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1325.060
Subject(s) - 4 aminopyridine , chemistry , audiology , medicine , potassium channel
A bstract : The potassium channel blocker 4‐aminopyridine (4‐AP) restored vertical smooth pursuit and gaze holding in light in one patient with upbeat (UBN) and in one with downbeat nystagmus (DBN). Without a visible target, however, 4‐AP had no effect on UBN, but DBN vanished. We hypothesize that this difference in the effects of 4‐AP, which is known to increase the excitability of cerebellar Purkinje cells, can be attributed to the different lesion sites involved in UBN and DBN.