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. 2004 Dec;88(12):1577-81.
doi: 10.1136/bjo.2004.044222.

Age related change of optokinetic nystagmus in healthy subjects: a study from infancy to senescence

C Valmaggia  1 , A Rütsche, A Baumann, C Pieh, Y Bellaiche Shavit, F Proudlock, I Gottlob
Affiliations

Age related change of optokinetic nystagmus in healthy subjects: a study from infancy to senescence

C Valmaggia et al. Br J Ophthalmol. 2004 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) gain is asymmetrical between temporal to nasal (TN) and nasal to temporal (NT) stimulation in infancy and decreases at older ages. The age at which OKN gain becomes symmetrical and decreases is debated. The aim was to investigate OKN over the whole lifespan in a large sample of healthy subjects.

Methods: In a prospective, cross sectional study OKN was tested monocularly using TN and NT small field stimulation. Stimulation velocity was 15 degrees /s and 30 degrees /s for children aged under 1 year (n = 97), and 15 degrees /s, 30 degrees /s, 45 degrees /s, and 60 degrees /s for older subjects (1-9 years, n = 66; 10-89 years, n = 86). Gain was measured using infrared oculography.

Results: Significant OKN gain asymmetry in favour of TN versus NT stimulation was found during the first 5 months of life (p<0.05). Only at 11 months of age was OKN symmetrical in 100% of the subjects. The percentage of children with symmetrical OKN decreased with increasing stimulus velocity. OKN gain increased in the second and third years (p<0.05 for 15 degrees /s), remained stable until 50 years of age, and showed a small but significant decrease afterwards for the tested velocities (between 6% and 18%, p<0.05).

Conclusions: Infrared oculography is an accurate method to assess OKN, especially in children. Knowledge about change of OKN in healthy subjects could be helpful to interpret OKN in patients with abnormal binocular vision or lesions of the central nervous system.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Original recordings of OKN for the right eye with stimulation at velocity of 30°/s from temporal to nasal (TN) (left) and from nasal to temporal (NT) (right) at 2 months (mean TN gain 0.66, mean NT gain 0.31), 1 year (mean TN gain 0.78, mean NT gain 0.73), 10 years (mean TN gain 0.82, mean NT gain 0.8), 20 years (mean TN gain 0.93, mean NT gain 0.92), and 80 years (mean TN gain 0.62, mean NT gain 0.58) of age.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean values and standard errors of OKN gains of subjects under 1 year of age (15°/s and 30°/s) (A), between 1 and 9 years of age (B), and between 10 and 89 years of age (C) at stimulation velocities of 15°/s, 30°/s, 45°/s, and 60°/s. Number of examined subjects for each age group are indicated in italics on the X axis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean values and standard errors of OKN gains of subjects over the whole age range with stimulation from temporal to nasal (TN) and from nasal to temporal (NT) at velocities of 15°/s (A) and 30°/s (B).
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