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Saccade-Related Activity in Superior Colliculus Predicts Eye Choice for Goal-Directed Saccades in Monkeys With
Jérome Fleuriet1,2, Tiphaine Belloir1, Mark M G Walton1,3
1Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States.
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
|November 18, 2025
Summary
In infantile strabismus, different brain cell groups activate depending on which eye targets a visual object. This finding in a primate model sheds light on how the brain compensates for eye misalignment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Infantile strabismus syndrome involves chronic eye misalignment present from infancy.
- This condition leads to significant visual impairments, including abnormal binocular vision, depth perception deficits, and amblyopia.
- The brain must choose which eye to use for visual targets, potentially involving distinct neural pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if different populations of saccade-related neurons in the superior colliculus are activated based on the eye used for targeting.
- To test the hypothesis that the movement field peak height differs for right-eye-to-target versus left-eye-to-target saccades.
Main Methods:
- Employed single-unit, extracellular recording in a nonhuman primate model of infantile strabismus.
- Movement fields were analyzed separately for saccades directing the left or right eye to a target.
- Statistical methods were used to compare the peak heights between conditions.
Main Results:
- A significant majority of recorded neurons exhibited stronger bursts when a specific eye was directed to a visual target compared to the fellow eye.
- This indicates differential activation patterns of saccade-related neurons based on the targeting eye.
Conclusions:
- In primate models of strabismus, distinct yet overlapping populations of burst neurons are activated depending on whether the left or right eye is directed toward a visual target.
- These findings suggest specialized neural circuitry within the superior colliculus for processing visual information from each eye in strabismic conditions.
