Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Brainstem: Control Centers of Medulla

Brainstem: Control Centers of Medulla

The medulla oblongata is a crucial part of the brainstem responsible for controlling various autonomic and involuntary functions. It contains several nuclei, including the olivary, cuneate, gracile, and solitary nuclei.
Olivary Nucleus
The olivary nucleus, or inferior olivary nucleus, is located within the ventrolateral part of the medulla oblongata. It is primarily involved in motor coordination and motor learning. The olivary nucleus receives input from the spinal cord, cerebellum, and motor...

Brainstem

Brainstem

The brainstem, located inferior to the brain and superior to the spinal cord, serves as a bridge between the cerebrum and the spinal cord. It plays a vital role in relaying information and controlling critical life functions. It comprises three primary regions: the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata.
The Midbrain
The midbrain is located beneath the diencephalon and connects the cerebrum with the lower parts of the brain. The cerebral peduncles are prominent midbrain structures that house the...

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...

Indirect Motor Pathways

Indirect Motor Pathways

The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...

Somatic Spinal Reflexes

Somatic Spinal Reflexes

Somatic spinal reflexes are rapid, involuntary muscular responses to external stimuli that involve the somatic musculature and the spinal cord.
One of the most well-known somatic spinal reflexes is the stretch reflex, which is activated by the sudden stretching of a muscle. This reflex involves the activation of specialized sensory receptors called muscle spindles, which are located in the muscle tissue and detect changes in the length and speed of muscle contractions. When a muscle is suddenly...

Neural Control of Respiration

Neural Control of Respiration

The neural regulation of respiration is a meticulously coordinated process primarily controlled by the respiratory centers located within the brainstem. These centers, composed of specialized neurons, transmit nerve impulses that control the contraction and relaxation of our respiratory muscles.
Respiratory Centers in the Brainstem
Two primary areas comprise the respiratory center: the medullary respiratory center in the medulla oblongata and the pontine respiratory group in the pons. The...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Genome sequence of <i>Bifidobacterium canis</i> SY61, a sialidase-producing bacterium isolated from canine feces.

Microbiology resource announcements·2026

Same author

[Neural Circuits of Saccadic Eye Movements: Insights into Active Vision].

Brain and nerve = Shinkei kenkyu no shinpo·2025

Same author

Porphyromonas gingivalis levels correlate with TLR4 expression status and prognosis after esophagectomy for advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophagus : official journal of the Japan Esophageal Society·2025

Same author

Peptidoglycan induces CXCL10 production and inhibits esophageal squamous cell carcinoma proliferation.

American journal of cancer research·2025

Same author

Cerebral air embolism caused by aspiration pneumonia: A case report.

Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association·2024

Same author

Pathways for Naturalistic Looking Behavior in Primate II. Superior Colliculus Integrates Parallel Top-down and Bottom-up Inputs.

Neuroscience·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Using Saccadometry with Deep Brain Stimulation to Study Normal and Pathological Brain Function

Using Saccadometry with Deep Brain Stimulation to Study Normal and Pathological Brain Function

Published on: July 14, 2016

Neural circuits for triggering saccades in the brainstem.

Yoshikazu Shinoda¹, Yuriko Sugiuchi, Yoshiko Izawa

¹Department of Systems Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan. yshinoda.phy1@tmd.ac.jp

Progress in Brain Research

|August 23, 2008

Summary

This study reveals how brainstem circuits trigger saccadic eye movements. Inhibitory burst neurons (IBNs) and omnipause neurons (OPNs) in the nucleus raphe interpositus are key, receiving signals from the superior colliculus.

More Related Videos

Recording Horizontal Saccade Performances Accurately in Neurological Patients Using Electro-oculogram

Recording Horizontal Saccade Performances Accurately in Neurological Patients Using Electro-oculogram

Published on: March 13, 2018

An Emerging Target Paradigm to Evoke Fast Visuomotor Responses on Human Upper Limb Muscles

An Emerging Target Paradigm to Evoke Fast Visuomotor Responses on Human Upper Limb Muscles

Published on: August 25, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Using Saccadometry with Deep Brain Stimulation to Study Normal and Pathological Brain Function

Using Saccadometry with Deep Brain Stimulation to Study Normal and Pathological Brain Function

Published on: July 14, 2016

Recording Horizontal Saccade Performances Accurately in Neurological Patients Using Electro-oculogram

Recording Horizontal Saccade Performances Accurately in Neurological Patients Using Electro-oculogram

Published on: March 13, 2018

An Emerging Target Paradigm to Evoke Fast Visuomotor Responses on Human Upper Limb Muscles

An Emerging Target Paradigm to Evoke Fast Visuomotor Responses on Human Upper Limb Muscles

Published on: August 25, 2020

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Ophthalmology
Neuroanatomy

Background:

The superior colliculus (SC) plays a dual role in visual processing, with its rostral part linked to visual fixation and its caudal part to saccade generation.
Understanding the neural circuitry underlying saccadic eye movements is crucial for diagnosing and treating various neurological disorders affecting vision.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the functional anatomy of brainstem circuits involved in triggering saccadic eye movements.
To determine the specific neural connections between the rostral and caudal superior colliculus (SC) and inhibitory burst neurons (IBNs) and omnipause neurons (OPNs).

Main Methods:

Analysis of intracellular potentials recorded from IBNs and OPNs in anesthetized cats following stimulation of the SC.
Mapping neural pathways connecting different SC regions to IBNs and OPNs.

Main Results:

IBNs receive direct excitation from the caudal SC and indirect inhibition from the rostral SC via OPNs.
OPNs receive excitation from the rostral SC and indirect inhibition from the caudal SC via IBNs.
These connections support the model of the rostral SC as a 'fixation zone' and the caudal SC as a 'saccade zone.'

Conclusions:

The identified neural connections suggest that IBNs, excited by the caudal SC, may trigger saccades by inhibiting OPNs.
This provides a mechanistic understanding of how the brain switches between fixation and saccadic eye movements.