The Rotatory Nystagmus Response in Children

Abstract

The nystagmus pattern obtained by a standardized vestibular stimulation was studied in children from birth to 15 years of age. The speed of the slow component decreased with increasing age. The differences in the speed between the age groups were most pronounced at the beginning of the vestibular test, whereafter they diminished successively. The duration of the nystagmus was shortest in children aged less than 12 months. The nystagmus amplitude and the speed of the fast component decreased with increasing age; the differences between the age groups at the beginning were the same as at the end of the vestibular response. The nystagmus intensity was classified in two parts: one depending on the peripheral, vestibular activity and the other on the central activity. According to this classification, the small children in relation to the older ones had a high peripheral and a low central nystagmus intensity.