Cerebral hemispheric localization of smooth pursuit asymmetry

Abstract

We recorded horizontal smooth pursuit in 23 patients with discrete unilateral cerebral hemispheric lesions and in 12 normal subjects. Most patients had bidirectional reduction of smooth pursuit gain, indicating that each cerebral hemisphere participates in smooth pursuit in both directions. Pursuit gain fell proportionately more with increasing target acceleration in patients than in normals. A normal phase relationship between eye and target motion in patients indicated an intact predictor mechanism for smooth pursuit. Ten patients had pursuit asymmetry with lower gain when tracking toward the side of cerebral damage; none had lower gain when tracking away. Two patients with lower ipsilateral gain had frontal lobe lesions. Areas of anatomic overlap of lesions associated with asymmetric pursuit in 8 patients provide evidence for a pursuit pathway that originates from Brodmann areas 19 and 39 and descends to the brainstem through the posterior limb of the internal capsule.