Positional Nystagmus due to Alteration of the Specific Gravity in the Labyrinth

Abstract

Horizontal positional nystagmus having characteristics similar to ice water caloric nystagmus was induced by injecting heavy water into the rabbit middle ear cavity or facial nerve through the stylomastoid foramen. Furthermore, with general administration of glycerol to normal subjects, horizontal positional nystagmus as with general administration of heavy water to experimental animals was observed. It is possible that alteration of the specific gravity arising from infiltration of heavy water or glycerol into the labyrinth accounts for the manifestation of positional nystagmus. These studies on positional nystagmus may be one of the means to elucidate the mechanism of caloric nystagmus and to examine the function of the human blood-labyrinth-barrier.

Key Words:

• positional nystagmus
• specific gravity
• labyrinth
• heavy water
• glycerol