Eye movements

Recent discoveries emanating from basic electrophysiological, anatomical, and pharmacological studies have implications for the diagnosis and treatment of clinical disorders of eye movements caused by disease affecting the brainstem and cerebellum. Electrophysiological studies have better defined the role of the superior colliculus in programming of saccades, and the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis in saccade-vergence interaction. Pharmacological inactivation studies have demonstrated the important role played by gamma-aminobutyric acid in the normal control of gaze and lead to trials of new agents in the treatments of nystagmus.