Eye-head coordination in cats

1984 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 1030-1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Guitton ◽  
R. M. Douglas ◽  
M. Volle
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Head Movement ◽  
Maximum Velocity ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Visual Axis ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Gaze Shift ◽  
Rapid Eye Movements ◽  
Motor Strategy

Gaze is the position of the visual axis in space and is the sum of the eye movement relative to the head plus head movement relative to space. In monkeys, a gaze shift is programmed with a single saccade that will, by itself, take the eye to a target, irrespective of whether the head moves. If the head turns simultaneously, the saccade is correctly reduced in size (to prevent gaze overshoot) by the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR). Cats have an oculomotor range (OMR) of only about +/- 25 degrees, but their field of view extends to about +/- 70 degrees. The use of the monkey's motor strategy to acquire targets lying beyond +/- 25 degrees requires the programming of saccades that cannot be physically made. We have studied, in cats, rapid horizontal gaze shifts to visual targets within and beyond the OMR. Heads were either totally unrestrained or attached to an apparatus that permitted short unexpected perturbations of the head trajectory. Qualitatively, similar rapid gaze shifts of all sizes up to at least 70 degrees could be accomplished with the classic single-eye saccade and a saccade-like head movement. For gaze shifts greater than 30 degrees, this classic pattern frequently was not observed, and gaze shifts were accomplished with a series of rapid eye movements whose time separation decreased, frequently until they blended into each other, as head velocity increased. Between discrete rapid eye movements, gaze continued in constant velocity ramps, controlled by signals added to the VOR-induced compensatory phase that followed a saccade. When the head was braked just prior to its onset in a 10 degrees gaze shift, the eye attained the target. This motor strategy is the same as that reported for monkeys. However, for larger target eccentricities (e.g., 50 degrees), the gaze shift was interrupted by the brake and the average saccade amplitude was 12-15 degrees, well short of the target and the OMR. Gaze shifts were completed by vestibularly driven eye movements when the head was released. Braking the head during either quick phases driven by passive head displacements or visually triggered saccades resulted in an acceleration of the eye, thereby implying interaction between the VOR and these rapid-eye-movement signals. Head movements possessed a characteristic but task-dependent relationship between maximum velocity and amplitude. Head movements terminated with the head on target. The eye saccade usually lagged the head displacement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Gaze control in humans: eye-head coordination during orienting movements to targets within and beyond the oculomotor range

1987 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Guitton ◽  
M. Volle
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movement ◽  
Head Movement ◽  
Slow Phase ◽  
Saccadic Eye Movement ◽  
Saccade Amplitude ◽  
Visual Axis ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Gaze Shift ◽  
Head Velocity ◽  
Motor Strategy

Gaze, the direction of the visual axis in space, is the sum of the eye position relative to the head (E) plus head position relative to space (H). In the old explanation, which we call the oculocentric motor strategy, of how a rapid orienting gaze shift is controlled, it is assumed that 1) a saccadic eye movement is programmed with an amplitude equal to the target's offset angle, 2) this eye movement is programmed without reference to whether a head movement is planned, 3) if the head turns simultaneously the saccade is reduced in size by an amount equal to the head's contribution, and 4) the saccade is attenuated by the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) slow phase. Humans have an oculomotor range (OMR) of about +/- 55 degrees. The use of the oculocentric motor strategy to acquire targets lying beyond the OMR requires programming saccades that cannot be made physically. We have studied in normal human subjects rapid horizontal gaze shifts to visible and remembered targets situated within and beyond the OMR at offsets ranging from 30 to 160 degrees. Heads were attached to an apparatus that permitted short unexpected perturbations of the head trajectory. The acceleration and deceleration phases of the head perturbation could be timed to occur at different points in the eye movement. 4. Single-step rapid gaze shifts of all sizes up to at least 160 degrees (the limit studied) could be accomplished with the classic single-eye saccade and an accompanying saccadelike head movement. In gaze shifts less than approximately 45 degrees, when head motion was prevented totally by the brake, the eye attained the target. For larger target eccentricities the gaze shift was interrupted by the brake and the average eye saccade amplitude was approximately 45 degrees, well short of the OMR. Thus saccadic eye movement amplitude was neurally, not mechanically, limited. When the head's motion was not perturbed by the brake, the eye saccade amplitude was a function of head velocity: for a given target offset, the faster the head the smaller the saccade. For gaze shifts to targets beyond the OMR and when head velocity was low, the eye frequently attained the 45 degrees position limit and remained there, immobile, until gaze attained the target.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Rapid horizontal gaze movement in the monkey

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 1632-1652 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. O. Phillips ◽  
L. Ling ◽  
A. F. Fuchs ◽  
C. Siebold ◽  
J. J. Plorde
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movement ◽  
Head Movement ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Head Position ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Gaze Shift ◽  
The Gaze ◽  
Small Correction ◽  
Horizontal Gaze

1. We studied horizontal eye and head movements in three monkeys that were trained to direct their gaze (eye position in space) toward jumping targets while their heads were both fixed and free to rotate about a vertical axis. We considered all gaze movements that traveled > or = 80% of the distance to the new visual target. 2. The relative contributions and metrics of eye and head movements to the gaze shift varied considerably from animal to animal and even within animals. Head movements could be initiated early or late and could be large or small. The eye movements of some monkeys showed a consistent decrease in velocity as the head accelerated, whereas others did not. Although all gaze shifts were hypometric, they were more hypometric in some monkeys than in others. Nevertheless, certain features of the gaze shift were identifiable in all monkeys. To identify those we analyzed gaze, eye in head position, and head position, and their velocities at three points in time during the gaze shift: 1) when the eye had completed its initial rotation toward the target, 2) when the initial gaze shift had landed, and 3) when the head movement was finished. 3. For small gaze shifts (< 20 degrees) the initial gaze movement consisted entirely of an eye movement because the head did not move. As gaze shifts became larger, the eye movement contribution saturated at approximately 30 degrees and the head movement contributed increasingly to the initial gaze movement. For the largest gaze shifts, the eye usually began counterrolling or remained stable in the orbit before gaze landed. During the interval between eye and gaze end, the head alone carried gaze to completion. Finally, when the head movement landed, it was almost aimed at the target and the eye had returned to within 10 +/- 7 degrees, mean +/- SD, of straight ahead. Between the end of the gaze shift and the end of the head movement, gaze remained stable in space or a small correction saccade occurred. 4. Gaze movements < 20 degrees landed accurately on target whether the head was fixed or free. For larger target movements, both head-free and head-fixed gaze shifts became increasingly hypometric. Head-free gaze shifts were more accurate, on average, but also more variable. This suggests that gaze is controlled in a different way with the head free. For target amplitudes < 60 degrees, head position was hypometric but the error was rather constant at approximately 10 degrees.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Action of the Brain Stem Saccade Generator During Horizontal Gaze Shifts. I. Discharge Patterns of Omnidirectional Pause Neurons

1999 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 1284-1295 ◽  
Author(s):  
James O. Phillips ◽  
Leo Ling ◽  
Albert F. Fuchs
Keyword(s):  
Brain Stem ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Head Movement ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Gaze Shift ◽  
The Gaze ◽  
Horizontal Gaze ◽  
Discharge Patterns ◽  
The Brain

Action of the brain stem saccade generator during horizontal gaze shifts. I. Discharge patterns of omnidirectional pause neurons. Omnidirectional pause neurons (OPNs) pause for the duration of a saccade in all directions because they are part of the neural mechanism that controls saccade duration. In the natural situation, however, large saccades are accompanied by head movements to produce rapid gaze shifts. To determine whether OPNs are part of the mechanism that controls the whole gaze shift rather than the eye saccade alone, we monitored the activity of 44 OPNs that paused for rightward and leftward gaze shifts but otherwise discharged at relatively constant average rates. Pause duration was well correlated with the duration of either eye or gaze movement but poorly correlated with the duration of head movement. The time of pause onset was aligned tightly with the onset of either eye or gaze movement but only loosely aligned with the onset of head movement. These data suggest that the OPN pause does not encode the duration of head movement. Further, the end of the OPN pause was often better aligned with the end of the eye movement than with the end of the gaze movement for individual gaze shifts. For most gaze shifts, the eye component ended with an immediate counterrotation owing to the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR), and gaze ended at variable times thereafter. In those gaze shifts where eye counterrotation was delayed, the end of the pause also was delayed. Taken together, these data suggest that the end of the pause influences the onset of eye counterrotation, not the end of the gaze shift. We suggest that OPN neurons act to control only that portion of the gaze movement that is commanded by the eye burst generator. This command is expressed by driving the saccadic eye movement directly and also by suppressing VOR eye counterrotation. Because gaze end is less well correlated with pause end and often occurs well after counterrotation onset, we conclude that elements of the burst generator typically are not active till gaze end, and that gaze end is determined by another mechanism independent of the OPNs.

scholarly journals Electrical Stimulation of the Frontal Eye Field in a Monkey Produces Combined Eye and Head Movements

2000 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 1103-1106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyson A. Tu ◽  
E. Gregory Keating
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Eye Movements ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Frontal Eye Field ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Gaze Shift ◽  
Eye Field ◽  
A Site ◽  
Head Rotations ◽  
Stimulation Of

The frontal eye field (FEF), an area in the primate frontal lobe, has long been considered important for the production of eye movements. Past studies have evoked saccade-like movements from the FEF using electrical stimulation in animals that were not allowed to move their heads. Using electrical stimulation in two monkeys that were free to move their heads, we have found that the FEF produces gaze shifts that are composed of both eye and head movements. Repeated stimulation at a site evoked gaze shifts of roughly constant amplitude. However, that gaze shift could be accomplished with varied amounts of head and eye movements, depending on their (head and eye) respective starting positions. This evidence suggests that the FEF controls visually orienting movements using both eye and head rotations rather than just shifting the eyes as previously thought.

scholarly journals Dissociation of Eye and Head Components of Gaze Shifts by Stimulation of the Omnipause Neuron Region

2007 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 360-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neeraj J. Gandhi ◽  
David L. Sparks
Keyword(s):  
Head Movement ◽  
Displacement Vector ◽  
Movement Control ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Gaze Shift ◽  
The Gaze ◽  
Movement Component ◽  
Neck Motoneurons ◽  
Stimulation Of

Natural movements often include actions integrated across multiple effectors. Coordinated eye-head movements are driven by a command to shift the line of sight by a desired displacement vector. Yet because extraocular and neck motoneurons are separate entities, the gaze shift command must be separated into independent signals for eye and head movement control. We report that this separation occurs, at least partially, at or before the level of pontine omnipause neurons (OPNs). Stimulation of the OPNs prior to and during gaze shifts temporally decoupled the eye and head components by inhibiting gaze and eye saccades. In contrast, head movements were consistently initiated before gaze onset, and ongoing head movements continued along their trajectories, albeit with some characteristic modulations. After stimulation offset, a gaze shift composed of an eye saccade, and a reaccelerated head movement was produced to preserve gaze accuracy. We conclude that signals subject to OPN inhibition produce the eye-movement component of a coordinated eye-head gaze shift and are not the only signals involved in the generation of the head component of the gaze shift.

Gaze control in the cat: studies and modeling of the coupling between orienting eye and head movements in different behavioral tasks

1990 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 509-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Guitton ◽  
D. P. Munoz ◽  
H. L. Galiana
Keyword(s):  
Maximum Velocity ◽  
Saccadic Eye Movements ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Visual Axis ◽  
Movement Velocity ◽  
Gaze Shift ◽  
The Gaze ◽  
Motor Error ◽  
Visible Target ◽  
The Individual

1. Orienting movements, consisting of coordinated eye and head displacements, direct the visual axis to the source of a sensory stimulus. A recent hypothesis suggests that the CNS may control gaze position (gaze = eye-relative-to-space = eye-relative-to-head + head-relative-to-space) by the use of a feedback circuit wherein an internally derived representation of gaze motor error drives both eye and head premotor circuits. In this paper we examine the effect of behavioral task on the individual and summed trajectories of horizontal eye- and head-orienting movements to gain more insight into how the eyes and head are coupled and controlled in different behavioral situations. 2. Cats whose heads were either restrained (head-fixed) or unrestrained (head-free) were trained to make orienting movements of any desired amplitude in a simple cat-and-mouse game we call the barrier paradigm. A rectangular opaque barrier was placed in front of the hungry animal who either oriented to a food target that was visible to one side of the barrier or oriented to a location on an edge of the barrier where it predicted the target would reappear from behind the barrier. 3. The dynamics (e.g., maximum velocity) and duration of eye- and head-orienting movements were affected by the task. Saccadic eye movements (head-fixed) elicited by the visible target attained greater velocity and had shorter durations than comparable amplitude saccades directed toward the predicted target. A similar observation has been made in human and monkey. In addition, when the head was unrestrained both the eye and head movements (and therefore gaze movements) were faster and shorter in the visible- compared with the predicted-target conditions. Nevertheless, the relative contributions of the eye and head to the overall gaze displacement remained task independent: i.e., the distance traveled by the eye and head movements was determined by the size of the gaze shift only. This relationship was maintained because the velocities of the eye and head movements covaried in the different behavioral situations. Gaze-velocity profiles also had characteristic shapes that were dependent on task. In the predicted-target condition these profiles tended to have flattened peaks, whereas when the target was visible the peaks were sharper. 4. Presentation of a visual cue (e.g., reappearance of food target) immediately before (less than 50 ms) the onset of a gaze shift to a predicted target triggered a midflight increase in first the eye- and, after approximately 20 ms, the head-movement velocity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Contribution of the Rostral Fastigial Nucleus to the Control of Orienting Gaze Shifts in the Head-Unrestrained Cat

1998 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 1180-1196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Pélisson ◽  
Laurent Goffart ◽  
Alain Guillaume
Keyword(s):  
Head Movements ◽  
Visual Signals ◽  
Fastigial Nucleus ◽  
Retinal Eccentricity ◽  
Visual Axis ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Gaze Shift ◽  
The Gaze ◽  
Eye Rotation ◽  
Fixation Offset

Pélisson, Denis, Laurent Goffart, and Alain Guillaume. Contribution of the rostral fastigial nucleus to the control of orienting gaze shifts in the head-unrestrained cat. J. Neurophysiol. 80: 1180–1196, 1998. The implication of the caudal part of the fastigial nucleus (cFN) in the control of saccadic shifts of the visual axis is now well established. In contrast a possible involvement of the rostral part of the fastigial nucleus (rFN) remains unknown. In the current study we investigated in the head-unrestrained cat the contribution of the rFN to the control of visually triggered saccadic gaze shifts by measuring the deficits after unilateral muscimol injection in the rFN. A typical gaze dysmetria was observed: gaze saccades directed toward the inactivated side were hypermetric, whereas those with an opposite direction were hypometric. For both movement directions, gaze dysmetria was proportional to target retinal eccentricity and could be described as a modified gain in the translation of visual signals into eye and head motor commands. Correction saccades were triggered when the target remained visible and reduced the gaze fixation error to 2.7 ± 1.3° (mean ± SD) on average. The hypermetria of ipsiversive gaze shifts resulted predominantly from a hypermetric response of the eyes, whereas the hypometria of contraversive gaze shifts resulted from hypometric responses of both eye and head. However, even in this latter case, the eye saccade was more affected than the motion of the head. As a consequence, for both directions of gaze shift the relative contributions of the eye and head to the overall gaze displacement were altered by muscimol injection. This was revealed by a decreased contribution of the head for ipsiversive gaze shifts and an increased head contribution for contraversive movements. These modifications were associated with slight changes in the delay between eye and head movement onsets. Inactivation of the rFN also affected the initiation of eye and head movements. Indeed, the latency of ipsiversive gaze and head movements decreased to 88 and 92% of normal, respectively, whereas the latency of contraversive ones increased to 149 and 145%. The deficits induced by rFN inactivation were then compared with those obtained after muscimol injection in the cFN of the same animals. Several deficits differed according to the site of injection within the fastigial nucleus (tonic orbital eye rotation, hypermetria of ipsiversive gaze shifts and fixation offset, relationship between dysmetria and latency of contraversive gaze shifts, postural deficit). In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that the rFN is involved in the initiation and the control of combined eye-head gaze shifts. In addition our findings support a functional distinction between the rFN and cFN for the control of orienting gaze shifts. This distinction is discussed with respect to the segregated fastigiofugal projections arising from the rFN and cFN.

Sensorimotor serial dependencies in head movements

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eckart Zimmermann
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Head Movement ◽  
Target Location ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Visual Localization ◽  
Target Displacement ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Movement Accuracy ◽  
Head Mounted Display

On average, we redirect our gaze with a frequency at about 3 Hz. In real life, gaze shifts consist of eye and head movements. Much research has focused on how the accuracy of eye movements is monitored and calibrated. By contrast, little is known about how head movements remain accurate. I wondered whether serial dependencies between artificially induced errors in head movement targeting and the immediately following head movement might recalibrate movement accuracy. I also asked whether head movement targeting errors would influence visual localization. To this end, participants wore a head mounted display and performed head movements to targets, which were displaced as soon as the start of the head movement was detected. I found that target displacements influenced head movement amplitudes in the same trial, indicating that participants could adjust their movement online to reach the new target location. However, I also found serial dependencies between the target displacement in trial n-1 and head movements amplitudes in the following trial n. I did not find serial dependencies between target displacements and visuomotor localization. The results reveal that serial dependencies recalibrate head movement accuracy.

Subcortical contributions to head movements in macaques. I. Contrasting effects of electrical stimulation of a medial pontomedullary region and the superior colliculus

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 2648-2664 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Cowie ◽  
D. L. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Eye Movements ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Head Movement ◽  
Saccadic Eye Movements ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Reticular Nucleus ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Gigantocellular Reticular Nucleus ◽  
External Events

1. These studies were initiated to understand the neural sites and mechanisms controlling head movements during gaze shifts. Gaze shifts are made by saccadic eye movements with and without head movements. Sites were stimulated electrically within the brain stem of awake, trained monkeys relatively free to make head movements to study the head-movement components of gaze shifts. 2. Electrical stimulation in and around the gigantocellular reticular nucleus evoked head movements in the ipsilateral direction. Gaze shifts were never evoked from these sites, presumably because the vestibulo-ocular reflex compensated. The rough topography of this region included large head movements laterally, small movements medially, downward movements from dorsal sites, and upward movements more ventrally. 3. The initial position of the head influenced the magnitude of the elicited movement with larger movements produced when the head was directed to the contralateral side. Attentive fixation was associated with larger and faster head movements when compared with those evoked during spontaneous behavior. 4. The superior colliculus makes a significant contribution to gaze shifts and has been shown to contribute to head movements. Because the colliculus is a major source of afferents to the gigantocellular reticular nucleus, comparable stimulation studies of the superior colliculus were conducted. When the colliculus was excited, shifts of gaze in the contralateral direction were predominant. These were most often accomplished by saccadic eye movements, however, we frequently elicited head movements that had an average latency 10 ms longer than those elicited from the reticular head movement region. Sites evoking head movements tended to be deeper and more caudal than loci eliciting eye movements. Neither the onset latencies, amplitudes, nor peak velocities of head movements and eye movements were correlated. Gaze shifts evoked from the caudal colliculus with the head free were larger than those elicited from the same site with the head fixed. 5. These studies demonstrate that both the superior colliculus and gigantocellular reticular nucleus mediate head movements. The colliculus plays a role in orienting to external events, and so collicular head movements predominantly were associated with gaze shifts, with the eye and head movements uncoupled. The medullary reticular system may play a role in the integration of a wider range of movements. Head movements from the medullary reticular sites probably participate in several forms of head movements, such as those that are related to postural reflexes, started volitionally, and/or oriented to external events.

scholarly journals Paroxysmal eye–head movements in Glut1 deficiency syndrome

Neurology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 88 (17) ◽  
pp. 1666-1673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni S. Pearson ◽  
Roser Pons ◽  
Kristin Engelstad ◽  
Steven A. Kane ◽  
Michael E. Goldberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Head Movement ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Deficiency Syndrome ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Glut1 Deficiency ◽  
Glut1 Deficiency Syndrome ◽  
History Of ◽  
Gaze Saccades

Objective:To describe a characteristic paroxysmal eye–head movement disorder that occurs in infants with Glut1 deficiency syndrome (Glut1 DS).Methods:We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of 101 patients with Glut1 DS to obtain clinical data about episodic abnormal eye movements and analyzed video recordings of 18 eye movement episodes from 10 patients.Results:A documented history of paroxysmal abnormal eye movements was found in 32/101 patients (32%), and a detailed description was available in 18 patients, presented here. Episodes started before age 6 months in 15/18 patients (83%), and preceded the onset of seizures in 10/16 patients (63%) who experienced both types of episodes. Eye movement episodes resolved, with or without treatment, by 6 years of age in 7/8 patients with documented long-term course. Episodes were brief (usually <5 minutes). Video analysis revealed that the eye movements were rapid, multidirectional, and often accompanied by a head movement in the same direction. Eye movements were separated by clear intervals of fixation, usually ranging from 200 to 800 ms. The movements were consistent with eye–head gaze saccades. These movements can be distinguished from opsoclonus by the presence of a clear intermovement fixation interval and the association of a same-direction head movement.Conclusions:Paroxysmal eye–head movements, for which we suggest the term aberrant gaze saccades, are an early symptom of Glut1 DS in infancy. Recognition of the episodes will facilitate prompt diagnosis of this treatable neurodevelopmental disorder.

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