The horizontal optokinetic response of the goldfish

This report describes the dynamics of the horizontal optokinetic response of the goldfish, and compares them with those of other species. Eye rotational velocity in response to step and sinusoidal rotations of the visual surround was tested using goldfish that had both eyes free to view the surround and to rotate with it. The step response was tested by switching on a visual surround display that was rotating at constant velocity, and then switching off the display, leaving the goldfish in the dark. The step-onset response was characterized by rapid and gradual components; the latter rose with an almost linear trajectory for higher surround velocities. The response was more rapid at step-offset than at step-onset. The step-offset response overshot baseline eye velocity for most goldfish and was oscillatory for the others. The steady-state response increased with constant velocity surround rotation within the range +/- 40 deg/sec but saturated outside that range. Steady-state response gain was higher for nasally-directed that for temporally-directed surround rotations. The frequency response was essentially low-pass, with gain decreasing from about 0.9 and phase lag increasing from zero to 90 deg as surround rotational frequency increased from 0.01 to 3.0 Hz. Sinusoidal response gain decreased as a function of surround peak acceleration. The results indicate that the horizontal optokinetic response of the goldfish is nonlinear and resembles in many respects that of mammals. Models developed to simulate the dynamics of the optokinetic response of mammals can be applied to that of goldfish and reproduce its nonlinear features.