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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Using Eye-tracking to Assess the Relative Importance of Visual and Vestibular Input to Subcortical Motion Processing in the Roll Plane

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Published on: August 22, 2025

Eye muscle proprioception is represented bilaterally in the sensorimotor cortex.

Daniela Balslev¹, Neil B Albert, Chris Miall

¹School of Psychology, Birmingham, United Kingdom. d.balslev@gmail.com

Human Brain Mapping

|March 11, 2011

Summary

Researchers identified the brain regions processing eye muscle proprioception using fMRI. This proprioceptive representation for eye position is bilateral, unlike hand proprioception, and is located in the somatosensory and premotor cortex.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Sensory Physiology

Background:

The precise brain areas for eye position sense are not fully understood.
Previous studies in monkeys and humans suggested a contralateral representation in the somatosensory cortex.

Purpose of the Study:

To map the whole brain's proprioceptive representation of eye position using fMRI.
To identify separate representations for the left and right eye's extraocular muscles (EOM).

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to observe brain activity.
Passive eye movements stimulated EOM proprioceptors without motor commands.
Brain regions activated solely by eyelid touch were excluded from analysis.

Main Results:

A bilateral brain region was activated for both left and right eye proprioception.
This area is located in the somatosensory cortex, extending into motor and premotor areas.
This bilateral representation contrasts with the contralateral representation of hand proprioception.

Conclusions:

The somatosensory and premotor cortex bilaterally process EOM proprioception.
This bilateral representation likely reflects the integration of proprioceptive input from both eyes and oculomotor commands.
Eye position sense integrates proprioception and efference copy for coordinated visual perception.