The supranuclear disturbances of gaze in kernicterus

Five patients with kernicterus and ocular motility disturbances are reported. All of the patients showed some defect in vertical gaze but not always upgaze. The most severely affected patient exhibited slowness of horizontal saccades in addition to a total vertical gaze palsy. In general, the severity of the ocular motility disturbance paralleled the severity of hearing loss. It is suggested that damage to the periaqueductal area accounts for disturbances in vertical gaze and the infrequent horizontal saccadic disturbances results from interruption of the descending centrifugal fibers. It is emphasized that kernicterus must be included in the differential diagnosis of any supranuclear vertical gaze disturbance.