Modification of Parameters in Vertical Optokinetic Nystagmus after Repeated Vertical Optokinetic Stimulation in Patients with Vestibular Lesions

The possibility that nystagmus suppression contributes to illusory motion was investigated by measuring perceived motion of a stationary stimulus following the removal of an optokinetic stimulus. This was done because optokinetic nystagmus typically outlasts cessation of an optokinetic stimulus. Therefore, it would be expected that a stationary fixated stimulus should appear to move after removal of an optokinetic stimulus if illusory motion results from nystagmus suppression. Illusory motion was reported for a stationary fixation target following optokinetic stimulation. This motion was reported first in the same direction as the preceding induced motion, then in the opposite direction. The two directions of illusory motion following optokinetic stimulation are interpreted as resulting from the use of smooth ocular pursuit to suppress first one phase of optokinetic afternystagmus and then the reverse phase. Implications for the origins of induced motion are discussed.

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Right frontal eye field has perceptual and oculomotor functions during optokinetic stimulation and nystagmus

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00468.2019 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 123 (2) ◽

pp. 571-586 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Angela Mastropasqua ◽

James Dowsett ◽

Marianne Dieterich ◽

Paul C. J. Taylor

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽

Magnetic Stimulation ◽

Visual Motion ◽

Optokinetic Nystagmus ◽

Frontal Eye Field ◽

Optokinetic Stimulation ◽

Motion Discrimination ◽

Eye Field ◽

The Right

The right frontal eye field (rFEF) is associated with visual perception and eye movements. rFEF is activated during optokinetic nystagmus (OKN), a reflex that moves the eye in response to visual motion (optokinetic stimulation, OKS). It remains unclear whether rFEF plays causal perceptual and/or oculomotor roles during OKS and OKN. To test this, participants viewed a leftward-moving visual scene of vertical bars and judged whether a flashed dot was moving. Single pulses of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) were applied to rFEF on half of trials. In half of blocks, to explore oculomotor control, participants performed an OKN in response to the OKS. rFEF TMS, during OKN, made participants more accurate on trials when the dot was still, and it slowed eye movements. In separate blocks, participants fixated during OKS. This not only controlled for eye movements but also allowed the use of EEG to explore the FEF’s role in visual motion discrimination. In these blocks, by contrast, leftward dot motion discrimination was impaired, associated with a disruption of the frontal-posterior balance in alpha-band oscillations. None of these effects occurred in a control site (M1) experiment. These results demonstrate multiple related yet dissociable causal roles of the right FEF during optokinetic stimulation. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study demonstrates causal roles of the right frontal eye field (FEF) in motion discrimination and eye movement control during visual scene motion: previous work had only examined other stimuli and eye movements such as saccades. Using combined transcranial magnetic stimulation and EEG and a novel optokinetic stimulation motion-discrimination task, we find evidence for multiple related yet dissociable causal roles within the FEF: perceptual processing during optokinetic stimulation, generation of the optokinetic nystagmus, and the maintenance of alpha oscillations.

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Optokinetic and Vestibular Responsiveness in the Macaque Rostral Vestibular and Fastigial Nuclei

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.90612.2008 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 101 (2) ◽

pp. 714-720 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Ayanna S. Bryan ◽

Dora E. Angelaki

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Optokinetic Nystagmus ◽

Translational Motion ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Optokinetic Stimulation ◽

Fixed Target ◽

3D Space

We recorded from rostral vestibular (VN) and rostral fastigial nuclei (FN) neurons that did not respond to eye movements during three-dimensional (3D) vestibular and optokinetic stimulation (OKS). The majority of neurons in both areas (76 and 69% in VN and FN, respectively) responded during both rotational and translational motion. Preferred directions scattered throughout 3D space for translation but showed some preference for pitch/roll over yaw for rotation. VN/FN neurons were also tested during OKS while monkeys suppressed their optokinetic nystagmus by fixating a head-fixed target. Only a handful of cells (VN: 17%, FN: 6%) modulated during 0.5-Hz OKS suppression, but the number of responsive cells increased (VN: 40%, FN: 48%) during 0.02-Hz OKS. Preferred directions for rotation and OKS were not matched on individual neurons, and OKS gains were smaller than the respective gains during rotation. These results were generally similar for VN and FN neurons. We conclude that optokinetic-vestibular convergence might not be as prevalent as earlier studies have suggested.

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Does habitual, vigorous optokinetic stimulation alter optokinetic nystagmus and sensitivity to circularvection?

Journal of Vestibular Research ◽

10.3233/ves-1999-9107 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 59-61

Author(s):

Kate H. McDermott ◽

Anna J. Matheson ◽

Nikoli Titov ◽

Cynthia L. Darlington ◽

Paul F. Smith

Keyword(s):

Phase Velocity ◽

Optokinetic Nystagmus ◽

Confounding Factor ◽

Practice Effects ◽

Slow Phase ◽

Optokinetic Stimulation ◽

Slow Phase Velocity ◽

Visual Vestibular Interaction ◽

Sporting Activities ◽

High Degree

Previous studies have shown that experience with optokinetic stimulation can alter a subject's sensitivity to illusions such as circularvection (CV). The aim of the present experiment was to compare optokinetic nystagmus (OKN), optokinetic afternystagmus (OKAN), and sensitivity to CV between 2 groups of sportspeople: 1) squash players (n=16), who regularly experience vigorous optokinetic stimulation while engaging in their sporting activity, and 2) weightlifters (n=16), whose sport does not involve the same degree of optokinetic stimulation as squash, but who nevertheless have to achieve a high degree of physical skill. OKN, OKAN (frequency, slow phase velocity, and timeconstant), and latency to CV (Stage 2 and Stage 3) were measured using electro-oculographic recording inside an optokinetic drum. Contrary to predictions,there were no significant differences in OKN, OKAN, or latency to CV between the 2 groups. These results suggest that 1) the practice effects that alter the sensitivity to CV may decay relatively quickly, and 2) differences in recreational sporting activities between subjects may not be a significant confounding factor in visual-vestibular interaction experiments.

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Neuromagnetic Cortical Activation during Initiation of Optokinetic Nystagmus: An MEG Pilot Study

Audiology and Neurotology ◽

10.1159/000375114 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 189-194

Author(s):

Paulus S. Rommer ◽

Roland Beisteiner ◽

Kirsten Elwischger ◽

Eduard Auff ◽

Gerald Wiest

Keyword(s):

Visual Motion ◽

Optokinetic Nystagmus ◽

Occipital Cortex ◽

Cortical Activation ◽

Slow Phase ◽

Large Set ◽

Optokinetic Stimulation ◽

Imaging Studies ◽

Visuomotor Integration ◽

Cortical Areas

Purpose: To investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of cortical activation during the initiation of optokinetic nystagmus using magnetoencephalography. Background: Previous imaging studies of optokinetic nystagmus in humans using positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging discovered activation of a large set of cortical and subcortical structures during steady-state optokinetic stimulation, but did not provide information on the temporal dynamics of the initial response. Imaging studies have shown that cortical areas responsible for vision in occipital and temporo-occipital areas are involved, i.e. cortical areas control optokinetic stimulation in humans. Magnetoencephalography provides measures that reflect neural ensemble activity in the millisecond time scale, allowing the identification of early cortical components of visuomotor integration. Design/Methods: We studied neuromagnetic cortical responses during the initiation of optokinetic nystagmus in 6 right-handed healthy subjects. Neuromagnetic activity was recorded with a whole-head magnetoencephalograph, consisting of 143 planar gradiometers. Results: The mean (±SD) latency between stimulus onset and initiation of optokinetic nystagmus was 177.7 ± 59 ms. Initiation of optokinetic nystagmus evoked an early component in the primary visual cortex starting at 40-90 ms prior to the onset of the slow phase of nystagmus. Almost simultaneously an overlapping second component occurred bilaterally in the temporo-occipital area (visual motion areas), pronounced in the right hemisphere, starting at 10-60 ms prior to the slow-phase onset. Both components showed long-duration activity lasting for up to 100 ms after slow-phase onset. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the initiation of optokinetic nystagmus induces early cortical activation in the occipital cortex and almost simultaneously bilaterally in the temporo-occipital cortex. These cortical regions might represent essential areas for the monitoring of retinal slip.

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Up–down Asymmetry in Vertical Induced Motion

Perception ◽

10.1068/p220527 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 527-535 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Lori A Lott ◽

Robert B Post

Keyword(s):

Optokinetic Nystagmus ◽

Motion Path ◽

Optokinetic Stimulation ◽

Stimulus Motion ◽

Real Motion ◽

Illusory Movement ◽

Induced Motion ◽

The Asymmetry ◽

The Difference ◽

Direction Opposite

Induced motion (IM) is the illusory movement of an object in the direction opposite to the real motion of adjacent detail. One theory of IM suggests that it results, in part, from suppression of optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) by fixational (smooth-pursuit) effort. In several studies an asymmetry in human vertical OKN has been reported, with upward optokinetic stimulation eliciting higher OKN gain than downward motion. This provides a test of the nystagmus-suppression theory of IM. If suppression of OKN contributes significantly to IM, upward inducing stimuli should result in a greater magnitude of the illusion than should downward stimulus motion. Additionally, the asymmetry of vertical OKN should become more pronounced at higher stimulus velocities. Therefore, the asymmetry of vertical IM should be greater at higher inducing-stimulus velocities. Twelve subjects viewed a large, random-dot stimulus, which moved either upward or downward at a velocity of 10, 40, or 70 deg s−1. Subjects fixated a horizontally moving laser spot and adjusted a rod to match the apparent slope of the motion path of the spot. IM magnitude was derived from these measures. Mean IM velocity was significantly higher with upward than with downward stimulation, and the difference was maximal at velocities of 40 and 70 deg s−1. The results are discussed within the context of the nystagmus-suppression theory and other theories of IM.

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