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Auditory saccades from different eye positions in the monkey: implications for coordinate transformations.
Ryan R Metzger1, O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman, Abigail M Underhill
1Dept. of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 6207 Moore Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
Journal of Neurophysiology
|May 28, 2004
Summary
Auditory spatial information is processed in an intermediate reference frame, not purely head- or eye-centered. This allows for accurate saccades to sounds despite changes in initial eye position.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory processing
- Motor control
Background:
- Auditory spatial information is typically head-centered, while saccade commands are eye-centered.
- Activity in the superior colliculus (SC) for auditory targets is in an intermediate reference frame.
- This intermediate frame suggests potential inaccuracies in auditory saccades due to initial eye position.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if initial eye position affects the accuracy of saccades to auditory targets.
- To determine the degree of eye position compensation in auditory saccades.
Main Methods:
- Experiments were conducted using rhesus monkeys.
- Saccades to auditory targets were measured across various horizontal locations.
- The influence of horizontal shifts in initial eye position on saccade endpoints was quantified.
Main Results:
- A 12-degree horizontal shift in initial eye position resulted in only a 0.6 to 1.6-degree shift in auditory saccade endpoints.
- This compensation for initial eye position was comparable to that observed for visual saccades.
- The results indicate a high degree of accuracy in auditory saccades despite changes in eye position.
Conclusions:
- Auditory activity in the superior colliculus is utilized effectively for accurate sound-guided saccades.
- The brain demonstrates robust compensation for initial eye position during auditory targeting.
- This compensation ensures precise motor responses to auditory stimuli.