Pursuit Eye Movements and Blink Reflexes after Smoking

We recently reported that tobacco smoking in normal human subjects induces a primary position upbeat nystagmus characterized by it's short duration, a linear slow phase, and suppression by visual fixation. We hypothesized that the excitatory effects of nicotine on central vestibular pathways was responsible for this nystagmus (Ann Neurol, in press). This report extends these studies by examining the effects of tobacco smoking on smooth pursuit eye movement and the blink reflex in normal human subjects.