Eye movements of rhesus monkeys directed towards imaginary targets

Is the presence of foveal stimulation a necessary prerequisite for rhesus monkeys to perform visually guided eye movements? To answer this question, we trained two rhesus monkeys to direct their eyes towards imaginary targets defined by extrafoveal cues. Independent of the type of target, real or imaginary, the trajectory of target movement determined the type of eye movement produced: steps in target position resulted in saccades and ramps in target position resulted in smooth pursuit eye movements. There was a tendency for the latency of saccades as well as pursuit onset latency to be delayed in the case of an imaginary target in comparison to the real target. The initial eye acceleration during smooth pursuit initiation elicited by an imaginary target decreased in comparison to the acceleration elicited by a real target. The steady-state pursuit gain was quite similar during pursuit of an imaginary or a real target. Our results strengthen the notion that pursuit is not exclusively a foveal function.