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Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex prevents short-latency saccade and vergence: a TMS study
Olivier A Coubard1, Zoï Kapoula
1Laboratoire de Physiologie de la Perception et de l'Action, UMR 7152 CNRS-Collège de France, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France. olivier.coubard@college-de-france.fr
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|June 17, 2005
Summary
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) influences eye movement initiation for both saccades and vergence. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the DLPFC modulated the timing of these voluntary eye movements.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Vergence eye movements are crucial for binocular vision.
- The role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in controlling vergence eye movements is not fully understood.
- Understanding prefrontal control mechanisms can shed light on voluntary eye movement generation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the possibility of triggering vergence eye movements with short latencies.
- To determine the involvement of the DLPFC in the control of vergence eye movements.
- To compare the prefrontal control mechanisms for saccades and vergence.
Main Methods:
- A gap paradigm was employed to study eye movement initiation.
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the motor cortex and DLPFC in 10 human participants.
- Participants performed saccades and vergence movements, with TMS effects on latency and metrics analyzed.
Main Results:
- TMS over the motor cortex did not affect eye movement parameters.
- TMS over the DLPFC influenced eye movement initiation timing but not movement metrics.
- Right DLPFC TMS accelerated saccade triggering; left DLPFC TMS affected ipsilateral saccades and divergence triggering.
- TMS effects on convergence were mild, with some individuals showing increased short-latency responses.
Conclusions:
- Prefrontal control mechanisms for saccades and vergence share similarities.
- Specificities exist in the prefrontal control of vergence.
- The DLPFC plays a role in modulating the timing of voluntary eye movements, including vergence.