scholarly journals Impairment but not abolishment of express saccades after unilateral- or bilateral cryogenic FEF inactivation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suryadeep Dash ◽  
Tyler R. Peel ◽  
Stephen G. Lomber ◽  
Brian D. Corneil
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Peak Velocity ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Frontal Eye Fields ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Express Saccades ◽  
Cortical Input ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Intermediate Layers

AbstractExpress saccades (ESs) are a manifestation of a visual grasp reflex triggered when visual information arrives in the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus (SCi), which in turn orchestrates the lower level brainstem saccade generator to evoke a saccade with a very short latency (∼100ms). A prominent theory regarding express saccades generation is that they are facilitated by preparatory signals, presumably from cortical areas, which prime the SCi prior to the arrival of visual information. Here, we test this theory by reversibly inactivating a key cortical input to the SCi, the frontal eye fields (FEF), while monkeys perform an oculomotor task that promotes ES generation. Across three tasks with a different combination of potential target locations and uni- or bilateral FEF inactivation, we found a spared ability for monkeys to generate ESs, despite decreases in ES frequency during FEF inactivation. This result is consistent with the FEF having a facilitatory but not critical role in ES generation, likely because other cortical areas compensate for the loss of preparatory input to the SCi. However, we did find decreases in the accuracy and peak velocity of ESs generated during FEF inactivation, which argues for an influence of the FEF on the saccadic burst generator even during ESs. Overall, our results shed further light on the role of the FEF in the shortest-latency visually-guided eye movements.New & NoteworthyExpress saccades (ESs) are the shortest-latency visually-guided saccade. The frontal eye fields (FEF) is thought to promote ES by establishing the necessary preconditions in the superior colliculus. Here, by reversibly inactivate the FEF either unilaterally or bilaterally, we support this view by showing that the FEF plays an assistive but not critical role in ES generation. We also found that FEF inactivation lowered ES peak velocity, emphasizing a contribution of the FEF to ES kinematics.

scholarly journals Impairment but not abolishment of express saccades after unilateral or bilateral inactivation of the frontal eye fields

2020 ◽  
Vol 123 (5) ◽  
pp. 1907-1919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suryadeep Dash ◽  
Tyler R. Peel ◽  
Stephen G. Lomber ◽  
Brian D. Corneil
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Peak Velocity ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Frontal Eye Fields ◽  
Express Saccades ◽  
Express Saccade ◽  
Cortical Cooling ◽  
Saccade Generation

Express saccades are the shortest-latency saccade. The frontal eye fields (FEF) are thought to promote express saccades by presetting the superior colliculus. Here, by reversibly inactivating the FEF either unilaterally or bilaterally via cortical cooling, we support this by showing that the FEF plays a facilitative but not critical role in express saccade generation. We also found that FEF inactivation lowered express saccade peak velocity, emphasizing a contribution of the FEF to express saccade kinematics.

Properties of visually-guided saccadic behavior and bottom-up attention in marmoset, macaque, and human

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Yang Chen ◽  
Denis Matrov ◽  
Richard Edmund Veale ◽  
Hirotaka Onoe ◽  
Masatoshi Yoshida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
World Monkey ◽  
Gap Effect ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Express Saccades ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Saliency Model ◽  
Free Viewing ◽  
The Brain

Saccades are stereotypic behaviors whose investigation improves our understanding of how primate brains implement precise motor control. Furthermore, saccades offer an important window into the cognitive and attentional state of the brain. Historically, saccade studies have largely relied on macaque. However, the cortical network giving rise to the saccadic command is difficult to study in macaque because relevant cortical areas lie in deep sulci and are difficult to access. Recently, a New World monkey -the marmoset- has garnered attention as an alternative to macaque because of advantages including its smooth cortical surface. However, adoption of marmoset for oculomotor research has been limited due to a lack of in-depth descriptions of marmoset saccade kinematics and their ability to perform psychophysical tasks. Here, we directly compare free-viewing and visually-guided behavior of marmoset, macaque, and human engaged in identical tasks under similar conditions. In video free-viewing task, all species exhibited qualitatively similar saccade kinematics up to 25º in amplitude although with different parameters. Furthermore, the conventional bottom-up saliency model predicted gaze targets at similar rates for all species. We further verified their visually-guided behavior by training them with step and gap saccade tasks. In the step paradigm, marmoset did not show shorter saccade reaction time for upward saccades whereas macaque and human did. In the gap paradigm, all species showed similar gap effect and express saccades. Our results suggest that the marmoset can serve as a model for oculomotor, attentional, and cognitive research while being aware of their difference from macaque or human.

Injection of Nicotine Into the Superior Colliculus Facilitates Occurrence of Express Saccades in Monkeys

1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 1642-1646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Aizawa ◽  
Yasushi Kobayashi ◽  
Masaru Yamamoto ◽  
Tadashi Isa
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Marked Change ◽  
Major Change ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Express Saccades ◽  
Macaque Monkeys ◽  
The Relationship

To clarify the role of cholinergic inputs to the intermediate layer of the superior colliculus (SC), we examined the effect of microinjection of nicotine into the SC on visually guided saccades in macaque monkeys. After injection of 0.4–2 μl of 1–100 mM nicotine into the SC, frequency of extremely short latency saccades (express saccades; reaction time = 70–120 ms) dramatically increased, for the saccades the direction and amplitude of which were represented at the location of the injection site on the collicular map. However, no marked change was observed for the relationship between the peak velocities and the amplitudes of saccades. These results suggested that activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the SC can facilitate initiation but causes no major change in dynamics of visually guided saccades.

Activity of visuomotor burst neurons in the superior colliculus accompanying express saccades

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 908-926 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Edelman ◽  
E. L. Keller
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Saccade Latency ◽  
The Other ◽  
Target Onset ◽  
Express Saccades ◽  
Express Saccade ◽  
Burst Neurons ◽  
Saccade Onset

1. We recorded visuomotor burst neurons in the deeper layers of the superior colliculus while two monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) made short-latency saccades known as express saccades to visual targets in order to determine whether the visual discharge normally seen for these cells served as the premotor burst during express saccades. We then compared saccade-related activity during express saccades with that recorded during regular latency saccades and delayed saccades. 2. Saccade latency histograms for two monkeys during trials with a temporal gap between fixation-point offset and target onset showed a distinct peak of saccades around 70-80 ms. One monkey also showed an additional peak around 125 ms. 3. Express saccades were found on the average to have the same relationship of saccade peak velocity to saccade amplitude as regular latency saccades and delayed saccades. Express saccades tended to be somewhat more hypometric than the other classes of saccades. However, express saccades were clearly visually guided and not anticipatory responses. 4. For most cells studied (33/40), express saccades were accompanied by a single, uninterrupted burst of activity beginning 40-50 ms after target onset and continuing until sometime around the end of the saccade. For a smaller group of cells (7/40), two peaks of burst activity were seen, although the second peak was smaller and tended to occur late, after saccade onset. Across all cells, the peak of visuomotor cell activity during express saccades correlated just as well with target onset as it did with saccade onset. 5. When considered as discharge temporally aligned to the onset of the saccade, bursts accompanying express saccades tended to begin at approximately the same time as that for regular and delayed saccades. However, this discharge generally peaked earlier for express than for regular and delayed saccades. Also, the magnitude of discharge for express saccades was higher than that for delayed saccades throughout the burst. 6. When considered as discharge temporally aligned to the appearance of the target, bursts began earlier for express and regular saccade trials than for delayed saccade trials. Peak discharge tended to be greater for express saccades than for the other classes of saccades. 7. The results of this investigation are consistent with the suggestion that the visual burst of visuomotor neurons in the deeper layers of the superior colliculus plays a role in the initiation of express saccades similar to that played by the premotor burst for saccades of longer latency. The elevated discharge for express saccades supports the idea that the superior colliculus plays a more critical role in express saccade generation than in the generation of longer-latency saccades. The elevated discharge also suggests that visuomotor bursters do not code one-to-one for saccade velocity nor for saccade dynamic motor error.

Saccade-related activity in monkey superior colliculus. II. Spread of activity during saccades

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 2334-2348 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. Munoz ◽  
R. H. Wurtz
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Active Zone ◽  
Discharge Rate ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Intermediate Layers ◽  
Saccade Onset ◽  
Population Reconstruction ◽  
Saccade Generation

1. In the companion paper we described two classes of cells in the monkey superior colliculus (SC) that were related to saccade generation, buildup cells and burst cells, which fell into two functional sublayers within the intermediate layers of the SC. Fixation cells in the rostral SC were deemed to be part of the buildup cell layer. The buildup cells had several characteristics in common with cells in the cat described as having a "hill of activity" moving across the SC, but the burst cells had no such characteristics. In this paper we further investigate whether there is evidence for such a moving hill of activity in the monkey by analyzing the spatial and temporal activity of cells across the SC during the generation of visually guided saccades. 2. We recorded the activity of single cells while the monkey made saccades of different amplitudes (0.5-60 degrees). We recorded cells from locations extending from the rostral to caudal SC in order to sample cells whose optimal amplitudes ranged from small to large saccades. This allowed us to see any shift of activity across the SC before, during, and after saccades. It also allowed us to determine the fraction of the SC that was active during the successive phases of saccade generation. 3. During active visual fixation, the fixation cells in the rostral pole of the buildup layer showed an increased discharge rate. From the population reconstruction, we estimate that the zone of active cells spanned the most rostral 0.72 mm in each SC. Assuming the SC is 5 mm in length, approximately 15% of the cells lying along the horizontal meridian in the buildup layer would be active during fixation. 4. At least 100 ms before the initiation of a saccade, long-lead activity began to appear in the buildup layer at the site on the SC motor map related to the next saccade. Fixation activity in the rostral poles simultaneously began to diminish, but the cells in the burst layer remained relatively silent. 5. Approximately 25 ms before saccade onset, the fixation cells ceased firing and both burst and buildup cells began to burst. The active zone in the burst layer was estimated to be approximately 1.4 mm diam, occupying roughly 28% of the SC along a line running from the rostral pole through the center of the initially active zone. The size of this active area among the burst cells was independent of saccade amplitude.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Monkey Posterior Parietal Cortex Neurons Antidromically Activated From Superior Colliculus

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 3493-3497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Paré ◽  
Robert H. Wurtz
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Single Pulse ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Intermediate Layers ◽  
Efferent Neurons ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
Saccade Task

Paré, Martin and Robert H. Wurtz. Monkey posterior parietal cortex neurons antidromically activated from superior colliculus. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 3493–3497, 1997. The connection between the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and the superior colliculus (SC) was investigated by antidromically activating neurons within the lateral intraparietal (LIP) area with single-pulse stimulation delivered to the intermediate layers of the SC. To dissociate visual and saccade-related responses, the discharge properties of the identified efferent neurons were studied in the delayed visually guided saccade task and the memory guided saccade task. We found that the great majority (74%) of the identified LIP efferent neurons have a peripheral visual receptive field, typically with a broad spatial tuning. About two-thirds (64%) exhibited sustained activity during the delay period of the behavioral tasks, during which the monkeys had to withhold eye movements, and 80% of these increased their activity just before the onset of saccades. Both delay and presaccadic discharges in the delayed visually guided saccade task were higher than in the memory guided saccade task. These results establish that the neuronal signal sent by LIP to the SC carries both visual and saccade-related information.

The effects of lateral geniculate nucleus, area V4, and middle temporal (MT) lesions on visually guided eye movements

1994 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter H. Schiller ◽  
Kyoungmin Lee
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Lateral Geniculate Nucleus ◽  
Saccadic Eye Movements ◽  
Bimodal Distribution ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Express Saccades ◽  
Area V4 ◽  
Lateral Geniculate

AbstractVisually guided saccadic eye movements to singly presented stationary targets form a bimodal distribution. After superior colliculus lesions, the so called “express saccades” that form the first mode of the distribution are no longer obtained. The aim of this study was to determine what role several other neural systems play in the generation of express and regular saccades, with the latter being those that form the second mode in the bimodal distribution. Lesions were made in the parvocellular and magnocellular portions of the lateral geniculate nucleus to disrupt either the midget system or the parasol system that originates in the retina and areas V4 and MT. The effects of the lesions were examined on the accuracy and latency of saccadic eye movements made to stationary and to moving visual targets. Following magnocellular and MT lesions deficits were observed in smooth pursuit and in the amplitude of saccades made to moving targets. However, none of the lesions produced significant changes in the bimodal distribution of saccadic latencies to stationary targets. The results suggest that express saccades and regular saccades are not selectively mediated by either the midget or the parasol systems or by areas V4 and MT. Neither are the frontal eye fields involved as had previously been shown. We suggest that the superior colliculus plays a central role in producing both express and regular saccades by virtue of highly convergent input from numerous cortical structures.

scholarly journals High contrast, moving targets in an emerging target paradigm promote fast visuomotor responses during visually guided reaching

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca A. Kozak ◽  
Brian D. Corneil
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Upper Limb ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Motor Output ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Muscle Recruitment ◽  
Moving Targets ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Subcortical Pathway

AbstractHumans have a remarkable capacity to rapidly interact with the surrounding environment, often by transforming visual input into motor output on a moment-to-moment basis. But what visual features promote the shortest-latency reach responses? To address this question, we had human subjects perform visually guided reaches to moving targets varied by speed (experiment 1), or speed and contrast (experiment 2) in an emerging target paradigm, which has recently been shown to robustly elicit fast visuomotor responses. Our analysis focused on stimulus-locked responses (SLRs) on upper limb muscles. SLRs represent the first wave of muscle recruitment tied to visual target onset, appearing within <100 ms. Across 32 subjects studied in both experiments, 97% expressed SLRs in the emerging target paradigm. In comparison, 69% of these subjects expressed SLRs in a visually-guided reach paradigm. Within the emerging target paradigm, we found that target speed impacted SLR magnitude, whereas target contrast impacted SLR latency and magnitude. Thus, high contrast, faster-moving targets in the emerging target paradigm robustly recruited the circuitry mediating the most rapid visuomotor transformations for reaching, and such responses were associated with shorter latency RTs. Our results support the hypothesis that a subcortical pathway originating in the superior colliculus may be involved in the earliest wave of muscle recruitment following visual stimulus presentation. In scenarios requiring expedited responses, cortical areas may serve to prime this subcortical pathway, and elaborate subsequent phases of muscle recruitment following the SLR.Significance StatementHumans have a remarkable capacity, when necessary, to rapidly transform vision into action. But how does the brain do this? Here, by studying human subjects reaching to suddenly-appearing targets, we find that the earliest visually-guided actions are produced in response to high-contrast, moving targets. A millisecond-resolution examination of upper limb muscle recruitment shows that motor output can begin within less than 100 ms of target presentation. We surmise that this earliest recruitment arises from a phylogenetically-conserved brainstem circuit originating in the superior colliculus. Rather than being directly involved in the earliest phase of visuomotor actions, cortical areas may prime this brainstem circuit to produce initial muscle recruitment, and then elaborate subsequent phases of recruitment when time is of the essence.

scholarly journals Changes in Otx2 and Parvalbumin Immunoreactivity in the Superior Colliculus in the Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor-βKnockout Mice

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juanjuan Zhao ◽  
Susumu Urakawa ◽  
Jumpei Matsumoto ◽  
Ruixi Li ◽  
Yoko Ishii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factor ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Platelet Derived Growth Factor ◽  
Functional Development ◽  
Relay Nucleus ◽  
Emotional Deficits

The superior colliculus (SC), a relay nucleus in the subcortical visual pathways, is implicated in socioemotional behaviors. Homeoprotein Otx2 andβsubunit of receptors of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGFR-β) have been suggested to play an important role in development of the visual system and development and maturation of GABAergic neurons. Although PDGFR-β-knockout (KO) mice displayed socio-emotional deficits associated with parvalbumin (PV-)immunoreactive (IR) neurons, their anatomical bases in the SC were unknown. In the present study, Otx2 and PV-immunolabeling in the adult mouse SC were investigated in the PDGFR-βKO mice. Although there were no differences in distribution patterns of Otx2 and PV-IR cells between the wild type and PDGFR-βKO mice, the mean numbers of both of the Otx2- and PV-IR cells were significantly reduced in the PDGFR-βKO mice. Furthermore, average diameters of Otx2- and PV-IR cells were significantly reduced in the PDGFR-βKO mice. These findings suggest that PDGFR-βplays a critical role in the functional development of the SC through its effects on Otx2- and PV-IR cells, provided specific roles of Otx2 protein and PV-IR cells in the development of SC neurons and visual information processing, respectively.

Corticotectal circuit in the cat: a functional analysis of the lateral geniculate nucleus layers of origin

1988 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1783-1797 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Colby
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Lateral Geniculate Nucleus ◽  
Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus ◽  
Visual Responses ◽  
Cortical Input ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Lateral Geniculate ◽  
Contralateral Eye ◽  
Visual Cortical ◽  
Y Cells

1. The dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the cat is a major thalamic relay between the retina and several visual cortical areas. These cortical areas in turn project to the superior colliculus (SC). The aim of the present experiment was to determine which LGN layers provide a necessary input to the corticotectal circuit. 2. Individual layers of the LGN were reversibly inactivated by microinjection of cobalt chloride during recording of visual responses in the retinotopically corresponding part of the superior colliculus. 3. For cells driven through the contralateral eye, inactivation of layer A or the medial interlaminar nucleus (MIN) had little effect on visual responsiveness in the superior colliculus. In contrast, inactivation of layer C abolished visual responses at one-quarter of the SC recording sites, reduced responses at another quarter, and left half of the recording sites unaffected. 4. For cells driven through the ipsilateral eye, inactivation of layer C1 or the MIN had no effect. Inactivation of layer A1 uniformly reduced visual responses in the superior colliculus and usually abolished them entirely. 5. These results are compatible with previous work showing that cortical input to the SC originates from Y-cells. They indicate that two of the five Y-cell containing layers (A1 and C) provide major inputs to the corticotectal circuit. The results suggest that layer A1 is functionally allied to layer C as well as to layer A.

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