Ocular motor apraxia and lesions of the visual association area

Abstract

A 51-year-old female suffered from atypical ocular motor apraxia. Neither smooth pursuit nor saccadic eye movements could be elicited by visual stimuli, but saccadic eye movements were induced by verbal stimuli. The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) was normal. The visual evoked cortical potential (VECP) showed a low occipital response and a normal vertex potential. The autopsy results showed old softenings in the bilateral occipital lobes and cerebellum. The lesion in Area 18 seemed to account for the absence of visually elicited eye movements. The severity of the damage to the occipital lobes corresponded with the reduction of the VECP.