Gaze Stabilization & Oculomotor Assessment Flashcards
7 cards from real CVT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Gaze Stabilization & Oculomotor Assessment flashcards as text
Which reflex is primarily responsible for maintaining stable gaze during head movement?
Answer: Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR)
The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) generates compensatory eye movements in the opposite direction of head movement to maintain stable gaze on a target.
VOR gain is defined as:
Answer: The ratio of eye velocity to head velocity
VOR gain is calculated as eye velocity divided by head velocity; a normal gain is approximately 1.0, meaning eye velocity closely matches head velocity.
Which of the following best describes the function of gaze stabilization exercises (GSE)?
Answer: To enhance VOR adaptation through repeated head movements with visual targets
Gaze stabilization exercises promote VOR adaptation by repeatedly exposing the patient to head movements while maintaining focus on a visual target, creating a retinal slip signal that drives recalibration.
During the head impulse test (HIT), a corrective saccade following the head thrust indicates:
Answer: Impaired semicircular canal function on the tested side
A corrective saccade (catch-up saccade) after a head thrust indicates the VOR failed to maintain gaze, suggesting hypofunction of the semicircular canal on the tested side.
The horizontal VOR arc is mediated primarily through which cranial nerve pathway?
Answer: CN VIII connecting to CN VI and CN III via the MLF
The horizontal VOR is mediated via CN VIII (vestibulocochlear), which projects to the abducens nucleus (CN VI) and oculomotor nucleus (CN III) through the medial longitudinal fasciculus.
The video head impulse test (vHIT) primarily assesses which aspect of vestibular function?
Answer: High-frequency semicircular canal function
The vHIT uses high-velocity, small-amplitude head impulses to assess high-frequency semicircular canal function, the range most affected by peripheral vestibular hypofunction.
Which condition is most associated with reduced VOR gain and overt corrective saccades on vHIT testing?
Answer: Unilateral vestibular neuritis
Vestibular neuritis causes unilateral peripheral vestibular hypofunction, resulting in reduced VOR gain and corrective saccades on the affected side during vHIT.