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Two- rather than three-dimensional representation of saccades in monkey superior colliculus
A J van Opstal1, K Hepp, B J Hess
1Neurology Department, University Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 31, 1991
Summary
The superior colliculus has a two-dimensional motor map for controlling saccades, not a three-dimensional one. This finding clarifies the neural basis of eye movements.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Motor Control
Background:
- Saccades, rapid eye movements, are orchestrated by brainstem neurons receiving input from the superior colliculus and cortex.
- Two recent models propose different roles for the superior colliculus in generating three-dimensional eye movements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if the superior colliculus's saccadic motor map is two-dimensional (retinal target vectors) or three-dimensional (motor error).
- To test quantitative models of the superior colliculus's role in three-dimensional eye movement generation.
Main Methods:
- Measured three-dimensional eye movements in alert monkeys.
- Electrically stimulated the superior colliculus.
Main Results:
- Electrical stimulation of the superior colliculus elicited two-dimensional eye movements.
- The study found no evidence for three-dimensional eye movements generated by superior colliculus stimulation.
Conclusions:
- The motor map of the superior colliculus is two-dimensional.
- This supports a model where the superior colliculus maps retinal target vectors rather than three-dimensional motor error.