Archive for category: Imported

Recently, researchers have studied the following question: is there a connection between the papillary reflex, stress and auditory issues.

What about the pupil reflex?

The pupil reflex represents the change in the size of the pupil as it responds to a luminous source that lands on the retina. When light hits the retina, the autonomic nervous system that is responsible to manage that kind of situation does so by allowing contraction of the constrictor muscle of the pupil. This mechanism contributes to a reduction of light that hits the retina.

The reverse scenario is also possible. If the body perceives that there is not enough light, it can see it as a threat and the pupil then dilates to allow more light to contact the retina.

The pupil reflex as a means to assess the nervous system

Clinicians in functional neurology have been using the pupil reflex as a means of evaluation of the autonomic nervous system. This is the system responsible for keeping us alive while we are busy living our lives.

For example, an individual that is stressed, generally speaking, can have a weaker pupil reflex, which means that, at rest, its pupils are more dilated than someone who is more relaxed.

It has been many years that the pupil reflex has been used as a component of the assessment of the autonomic nervous system in the cases where patients suffer from Parkinson, Alzheimer and diabetes.

In the context of this study, 36 studies speaking of the pupil reflex and the autonomic nervous system were read. 30 of them made the link between the pupil reflex and a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system.

What about posturology?

With posturology, we assess the body as a whole with the purpose of evaluating the expense of energy an individual is responsible for to stand upright and move. This evaluation includes motility of the eyes, as in how both eyes work together to allow us to focus on the horizon, as we need to do so to stabilize our body to do anything!

Ocular convergence is interesting for the posturologist. It attests of the capacity of the two hemispheres to work together, which is necessary for all motor tasks to take place.

Since we know that, for ocular convergence to take place, pupil constriction is necessary, if this mechanism is weak, ocular convergence pays the price and the final resultant is postural compensations and, in the worst of cases, instability disorders.

Specific exercises can be suggested as to improve the pupil reflex, which can potentially have positive consequences on the entire balance system.

Strabismus is a default of eye alignment. We diagnose strabismus mainly in children that are 6 years old and less and it is about 5% of the children that are affected by strabismus. It is not rare that parents are the first ones to recognize the eye deviation.

It is recommended to have a full eye exam as of the age of 3. The thing is, by the age of 3, the visual system has already developed quite a bit.

It is true that if the strabismus is of congenital nature, the environment of the child will not be a considerable factor in resolving the issue. That being said, if the strabismus appeared during the first years of life, non-invasive solutions do exist.

Certain optometrists will recommend visual exercises. And that’s good. Yet, it’s incomplete. We develop our vision as we develop our entire body. We do so by navigating our environment. In my opinion, we have to address the body as a whole to get optimal results.

Take the Doman brothers, for example. They recognized early on (in the 1960s) that ocular pursuit was developed in the context of crawling, belly on floor.

It is with this in mind that, at Clinique VI, we offer a service entitled Motor Development for 0-6 years old.

As Dr. Ezane, MD and associates say: we associate equilibrium difficulties with strabismus. More so, we know that these children must spend more energy to stand upright that children that do not have strabismus.

According to the WHO, 10-12% of worldwide population is affected by migraines.

What defines a migraine?

– Duration: 4-72 hours.
– Unilateral.
– Affects specifically the anterior part of the cranium.
– Can be intense enough to get in the way of professional activities.
– Can be associated to nausea, vomiting and photophobia.
– There can be an aura preceding the migraine.

If it’s true that no one knows the origin of migraines, some studies show that the issue could be of cerebral origin. There is, to this day, a debate as to whether migraines are of vascular or neurological nature.

That being said, it seems that the possibility that migraines are caused by cerebral hyper excitability is generally accepted.

The role of the cerebellum in cases of migraines with and without an aura

Published force plate measurements have revealed that migraine sufferers had less balance. As well, it was revealed that individuals afflicted by migraines had ocular saccades that were less precise. Finally, it was mentioned that individuals that suffer from migraines tend to have less fine motor coordination.

These findings seem to highlight the role of the cerebellum in migraines. To add to it, it is apparently 2/3 of migraine sufferers that are sensitive to movement!

The role of the cerebellum in basilar type migraines

Some think that basilar type migraines find their origin in the brainstem and/or in the brain hemispheres and are sometimes accompanied by motor deficits.

Some of its symptoms, again, make you think of the cerebellum:

– Dysarthria: difficulty with the TMJ for speech.
– Vertigo: difficulty with organ of equilibrium.
– Diplopia: double vision.
– Visual symptoms.
– Ataxia: lack of coordination of movements.

The role of the cerebellum with familial hemiplegic migraines

Familial hemiplegic migraines are characterized by the presence of an aura and motor weaknesses. We can also find ataxia. As it is the case for other types of migraines, we recognize, for familial hemiplegic migraines, symptoms that belong to the cerebellum.

Conclusion

Based on the information herein provided, we can think that the cerebellum is involved in different types of migraines.

In Posturology, the fact that we improve proprioceptive information that is captured by the cerebellum and that we decrease the quantity of work that the vestibular system needs to accomplish to stand us upright (the inner ear connects to the cerebellum), it is quite possible that we can have a positive effect on the probability of developing migraines.

Clinically, we often find that these migraines are on the side of the hypo convergent eye, where facial muscles show less tone. These clinical findings can be a reflection of the postural system. If we improve that system, it is possible to have results on migraines.

Let’s not lie to each other… in posturology, eyes are pretty important! The posturologist assesses ocular motility in order to evaluate coordination and so much more.

Actually, Posturology borrowed from orthoptics the notion of testing the efficacy of eye movement with the idea of assessing more than how we see.

Knowing this, in 2013, researchers sought to find out if specific eye movements were affected in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s. We already knew that patients who suffered from Alzheimer have affected horizontal saccades. We wanted to know, here, if vertical saccades were also affected.

The study concludes, indeed, that vertical saccades are also affected in patients with the illness.

Saccades are eye movements where we go from looking at one target to another, very quickly.

Saccades are initiated in an area of the brainstem called the midbrain and the motor visual areas.

When calibrating with Posturology, via specific exercises, we stimulate the pathways that link the midbrain to the motor visual pathways.

To activate the brain via specific eye exercises such as the ones we suggest to improve saccades is as essential for the brain’s health as it receiving enough glucose and oxygen.

Posturology can be seen, therefore, as a tool to improve brain function and hopefully decrease the likelihood of neural degeneration and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.