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Blink-perturbed saccades in monkey. II. Superior colliculus activity
1Department of Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Nijmegen, NL-6525 EZ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Journal of Neurophysiology
|June 10, 2000
Summary
Reflex blinks transiently suppress saccade-related neurons in the monkey superior colliculus (SC). Neuronal activity resumes, compensating for saccade perturbations, indicating a neural mechanism for blink-induced eye movement adjustments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Oculomotor control
- Sensory-motor integration
Background:
- Saccades, rapid eye movements, are crucial for vision.
- Trigeminal reflex blinks can disrupt saccade trajectory.
- The superior colliculus (SC) plays a key role in saccade generation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how reflex blinks influence the activity of saccade-related burst neurons (SRBNs) in the monkey SC.
- To understand the neural mechanisms underlying saccade compensation during blink perturbations.
Main Methods:
- Recorded activity of 29 SRBNs in three monkeys using the blink-perturbation paradigm with air puff stimuli.
- Analyzed discharge properties of SRBNs during normal and blink-perturbed saccades.
- Quantified burst duration, spike count, firing rate, and motor error relationships.
Main Results:
- Air puff stimuli caused a transient suppression of SRBN activity (~10 ms latency).
- SRBN activity resumed within 10-30 ms, continuing until the perturbed saccade ended, supporting compensation.
- Increased burst duration correlated with increased saccade duration; spike count remained similar, while firing rate decreased.
Conclusions:
- Blinking interacts with the saccade premotor system at the SC level.
- Neural mechanisms, not passive forces, underlie compensation for blink-related saccade perturbations.
- The SC may encode desired eye displacement via a fixed number of spikes to the brainstem saccadic generator.