Chronometry of visual responses in frontal eye field, supplementary eye field, and anterior cingulate cortex

The latency and variability of latency of single-unit responses to identical visual stimulation were measured in the frontal eye field (FEF), supplementary eye field (SEF), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of macaque monkeys performing visually guided saccades. The mean visual response latency was significantly shorter in FEF (64 ms) than in SEF (81 ms) or ACC (100 ms), and latency values determined by four methods agreed. The latency variability of the visual response was respectively less in FEF (21 ms) than in SEF (37 ms) or ACC (41 ms). Latency, variability of latency, and magnitude of the visual responses were correlated within FEF and SEF but not ACC. These characteristics of the visual response are consistent with the degree of convergence of visual afferents to these areas and constrain hypotheses about visual processing in the frontal lobe.