[Cortical control of saccades]

Among saccades triggered by the cerebral cortex, visually guided saccades are the best known and their cortical control is reviewed here. Only two immediately supra-reticular structures are able to trigger saccades (whatever their type): the frontal eye fields (FEF) and the superior colliculus (SC). These structures control two parallel excitatory pathways, which can replace each other in the event of lesion. Experimental findings have suggested that the colliculo-reticular pathway would, in the normal state, play the main role in the triggering of reflexive visually guided saccades. Furthermore experimental and clinical data suggest that the SC would receive an excitatory afference from the posterior part of the intraparietal sulcus, which could be involved in the triggering of these saccades. The parietal lobe could influence the SC by increasing the pre-excitation due to the onset of the visual target. There are also inhibitory pathways which prevent saccades, in particular during fixation. Two groups of tonic neurons inhibit the excitatory pathways. These are the omnipause neurons and the neurons of the substantia nigra (pars reticulata), which project upon the premotor reticular formations and the SC respectively. The pathways projecting upon these 2 types of neurons are multiple and still little known. Nevertheless, some arguments suggest that the frontal lobe partly controls inhibition. These arguments are based on a somewhat disinhibited triggering of reflexive visually guided saccades in focal or degenerative (progressive supranuclear palsy) frontal lesions. The prefrontal cortex could be involved in inhibition control, and it could act functionally above the FEF.