Upbeat nystagmus and visual system disorder in Wernicke's encephalopathy due to starvation

Abstract

The case of a 21-year-old man is reported, who developed Wernicke's encephalopathy with upbeat nystagmus and visual system dysfunction during a prolonged episode of starvation. The oculographic characteristics of the nystagmus are shown. Furthermore, the difficulties and possibilities of proving a visual system disorder in the presence of a marked nystagmus are discussed, together with the possible role of a disturbed visual input to the pursuit system in the pathogenesis of upbeat nystagmus.