Abstract
Uhthoff ’s phenomenon or symptom is the worsening of visual acuity (‘amblyopia’ in Uhthoff’s 1890 description) with exercise in optic neuritis, reflecting the temperature sensitivity of demyelinated axons (i.e. reduced safety factor for faithful transmission of action potentials). The term has subsequently been applied to exercise and/or temperature related symptoms in other demyelinated pathways. It has also been described in the context of other optic nerve diseases, including Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy, sarcoidosis, and tumour.
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Larner, A.J. (2011). U. In: A Dictionary of Neurological Signs. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7095-4_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7095-4_21
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