Saccadic eye movements evoked by microstimulation of the fastigial nucleus of macaque monkeys

1. Systematic exploration throughout the deep cerebellar nuclei and white matter disclosed that the region from which saccadic eye movements (saccades) were evoked with weak currents (less than 10 microA) was confined to the fastigial nucleus and the adjacent white matter. 2. When an electrode for stimulation was advanced in the cerebellum, saccades were evoked in the direction of the stimulated side (ipsilateral saccades) as it entered the low-threshold region. In some tracks, particularly when the electrode was advanced in the medial portion of the fastigial nucleus, the direction of the evoked saccades changed from the ipsilateral to the contralateral. 3. The mappings with microstimulation disclosed that the ipsilateral saccades were elicited from a relatively wide region that included almost the full extent of the fastigial nucleus. The low-threshold region continued in the white matter caudally into vermal lobule VII and rostrally into the dorsal aspect of the brachium conjunctivum. On the other hand, the contralateral saccades were evoked from a relatively circumscribed region in the ventromedial portion of the fastigial nucleus. 4. The reversal in the direction of the horizontal component occurred always in a narrow zone in the core of the fastigial nucleus. The caudal part of this zone coincided with an ellipsoidal region where anterogradely labeled axons of the Purkinje cells terminated when HRP was injected into vermal lobule VII. 5. When bicuculline (0.2-1 microgram) was injected in the ellipsoidal region, the ipsilateral saccades evoked from the dorsocaudal aspect of the region were suppressed for several hours. On the other hand, the contralateral saccades evoked from the ventromedial portion of the fastigial nucleus were either unchanged or enhanced. 6. Because the ipsilateral saccades were suppressed by bicuculline, they were most probably evoked by stimulation of the presynaptic component of gamma-amino-butyric acid-(GABA) mediated synapses, namely the axons of Purkinje cells. 7. Because stimulation of the presynaptic component of the inhibitory synapses evoked ipsilateral saccades, activation of the postsynaptic component would evoke contralateral saccades. In fact, the distribution of the fastigial sites yielding contralateral saccades coincided with the course of axons of fastigial neurons arising in the ellipsoidal region. It is most likely, therefore, that the contralateral saccades were evoked by stimulation of fastigial neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)