Upbeat nystagmus due to a small pontine lesion: evidence for the existence of a crossing ventral tegmental tract

Abstract

We report a patient with an isolated large upbeat nystagmus (UBN) in the primary position of gaze. Eye movements were filmed and recorded using electro-oculography. The upward vestibulo-ocular reflex gain, evaluated by pitching the head forward, was markedly reduced compared to when pitching the head back. The lesion was a probable lacunar infarction located in the paramedian and posterior part of the basis pontis, at the upper pons level. This UBN case, with one of the smallest brainstem lesions reported so far, supports the existence in humans of the crossing ventral tegmental tract, described in the cat and transmitting excitatory upward vestibular signals to the third nerve nucleus. It is also suggested that the decussation of this tract lies at the same upper pons level as in the cat but in a slightly more ventral location, i.e. in the posterior basis pontis.