Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0028738 (nystagmus)
 7,431 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The nucleus of the optic tract (NOT) is associated with the generation of optokinetic nystagmus (OKN), whereas the olivary pretectal nucleus (ol), which lies embedded in the primate NOT, is believed to be essential for the pupillary light reflex. In this anatomical study of the pretectum, projections from NOT and ol to structures around the oculomotor nucleus were traced in the monkey, to determine which cell groups they innervated. 1. 3[H]-leucine injections were placed into NOT and ol, and labelled terminals were observed just outside the classical oculomotor nucleus (nIII), in the "C-group' and midline cell clusters, both of which contain small motoneurons of the extraocular eye muscles. In addition, there were strong projections to the lateral visceral cell column of the Edinger-Westphal complex (lvc), but not to the Edinger-Westphal nucleus (EW) itself. All of these projections were mainly contralateral. 2. NOT efferents terminated over the ipsilateral medial accessory nucleus of Bechterew (nB), but not over the adjacent nucleus Darkschewitsch. 3. Injections of a retrograde tracer into the oculomotor complex showed that the pretectal afferents described above originated mainly from the dorsomedial part of NOT and from ol. 4. The use of a transsynaptic retrograde tracer, tetanus toxin fragment (BIIb), established the monosynaptic nature of the connection between dorsomedial NOT (contralaterally) and ol (bilaterally), to the small extraocular motoneurons outside classical nIII. The "C-group' motoneurons may play a role in vergence, and lvc in pupillary constriction and depth of focus. Our results imply that NOT and ol participate in the control of some aspects of the near-response, which may be important in the generation of some components of OKN in primates.
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PMID:Pretectal projections to the oculomotor complex of the monkey and their role in eye movements. 869 92

We report a case of cephalic tetanus presenting with opisthotonus. A 49-year-old man was admitted because of repeated convulsions. The patient was a garbage truck driver known to be alcoholic, who fell down to suffer an injury of the left face two days before the onset of convulsion. Intravenous administration of diazepam and phenytoin partially relieved the convulsions. Anti-tetanus human immuno-globulin was also administered despite absence of typical clinical sign. Six hours later, however, the patient became unable to open the mouth, i.e. lockjaw developed, and the diagnosis of tetanus was made. Additional anti-tetanus human immunoglobulin of 3,000 units and 4,500 units on the next day rapidly relieved the lockjaw, convulsion, and general muscle rigidity without sequalae. The patient showed transient bilateral facial palsy and rotatory nystagmus during the course. Cephalic tetaus is characterized by a history of an injury of the head and a short latency before developing generalized tonic convulsion or opisthotonus. While a typical case presents with lockjaw, our case presented with opisthotonus, presumably because of early systemic lymphatic spreading of tetanus toxin. Early diagnosis and treatment is important to prevent generalized convulsions which are more frequent and sometimes lethal in cephalic tetanus than the common form.
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PMID:[A case of cephalic tetanus presenting with opisthotonus]. 1167 60