Cerebellar activation in opsoclonus: an fMRI study

Neurology. 2003 Aug 12;61(3):412-5. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000073271.66866.51.

Abstract

It is controversial whether opsoclonus is a cerebellar or brainstem disorder. Two patients whose opsoclonus largely disappeared on eye closure underwent fMRI. A comparison of these two states revealed neither vermal nor brainstem activation but rather a bilateral activation in the deep cerebellar nuclei in excess of what the authors found in healthy subjects. The results support a crucial role of the fastigial nucleus in opsoclonus.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Cerebellar Nuclei / physiopathology
  • Cerebellum / diagnostic imaging
  • Cerebellum / physiopathology*
  • Eye Movements* / physiology
  • Female
  • Fixation, Ocular
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Ocular Motility Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Ocular Motility Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Reference Values
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed