Dysmetria

Dysmetria

Dysmetria, or past-pointing, is a disturbance in the control of range of movement in voluntary muscular action, and is one feature of the impaired checking response seen in cerebellar lesions (especially hemisphere lesions).

Dysmetria may also be evident in saccadic eye movements: hypometria (undershoot) is common in Parkinsonism; hypermetria (overshoot) is more typical of cerebellar disease (lesions of dorsal vermis and fastigial nuclei).

In cerebellar disorders, dysmetria reflects the asynergia of coordinated muscular contraction.

 

References

Bötzel K, Rottach K, Büttner U. Normal and pathological saccadic dysmetria. Brain 1993; 116: 337-353
Büttner U, Straube A, Spuler A. Saccadic dysmetria and "intact" smooth pursuit eye movements after bilateral deep cerebellar nuclei lesions. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 1994; 57: 832-834

 

Cross References

Asynergia; Cerebellar syndromes; Dysdiadochokinesia; Parkinsonism; Rebound phenomenon; Saccades