The oculomotor system is one of the most diagnostically powerful systems available to the functional neurologist. Eye movements provide direct, observable windows into brainstem, cerebellar, basal ganglia, and cortical function, and nowhere is that window more revealing than in the domain of visual fixation and saccadic intrusion disorders. Yet for most clinicians, the neurophysiology of fixation, the biology of microsaccades, and the clinical significance of square wave jerks remain undertaught, underutilized areas of their neuroscience foundation.

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This course changes that. Taught by Dr. David Traster, a chiropractic neurologist with deep specialization in functional neurology, vestibular rehabilitation, and brain injury rehabilitation, Visual Fixation and Saccadic Intrusions builds a complete, systems-level understanding of how the brain maintains stable gaze, what happens when that system fails, and how those failures present clinically across a broad spectrum of neurological and neurodegenerative conditions.

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Clinicians begin with the evolutionary and neurobiological foundations of binocular vision and stereopsis, advancing through the precise neurophysiology of the neural integrator, the pulse-step mechanism of eye movement generation, and the roles of the nucleus prepositus hypoglossi, interstitial nucleus of Cajal, cerebellar flocculus, and superior colliculus in fixation stability. The course then moves into the clinical taxonomy of saccadic intrusions: square wave jerks, macrosaccadic oscillations, saccadic pulses, ocular flutter, and opsoclonus, with attention to the brainstem and cerebellar circuits that generate each. Differential diagnosis between progressive supranuclear palsy and Parkinson's disease is explored with oculomotor precision. Neuromodulatory influences of acetylcholine, dopamine, and norepinephrine on visual attention are examined alongside the pharmacological basis for treating nystagmus and saccadic instability. Real clinical case studies ranging from post-concussion syndrome to POTS, Lyme disease, Parkinson's disease, and anorexia nervosa ground every concept in patient-facing application.

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This course is designed for licensed clinicians, including chiropractors, neurologists, physiatrists, and rehabilitation specialists, who are ready to integrate advanced oculomotor assessment into their neurological examination and elevate the precision of their clinical reasoning. Ten hours of continuing education credit are awarded upon completion.

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Dr. Traster brings both academic rigor and real-world clinical depth to every concept, drawing on an extensive background in functional neurology and neurorehabilitation. His case-driven teaching style connects complex neurophysiology directly to clinical presentation, making advanced oculomotor science accessible and immediately applicable at the level of the individual patient.