NON-VESTIBULAR CONTROL OF EYE MOVEMENTS

BASIC ANATOMY
1. Frontal eye fields
2. Occipital eye fields
3. Parietal lobe
4. Brain stem:
a. Paramedian pontine reticular formation
b. Nuclei
c. Medial longitudinal fasciculus
d. Rostral interstitial MLF
e. Interstitial nucleus of Cajal
f. Superior colliculus
5. Cerebellum:
a. Flocculus
b. Paraflocculus
c. Vermis
6. Pulvinar
7. Nucleus III
Frontal Eye Fields (Area 8)
Projections to FEF
1. Area 7
Posterior parietal lobe with visual and eye movement
neurons
2. Peristriate, parietal and superior temporal cortex
3. Medial pulvinar
FEF projects to:
Counterpart
(through internal
Caudate N
capsule)
Superior colliculus
Pedunculopontine N
PPRF
riMLF
Occipital Eye Fields (Areas 18 + 19)
Action
Elicits eye movements
Though to subserve eye movements induced by visual
stimuli
Stimulation causes conjugate eye movements to opposite
side
Pathway
Reciprocally connected to FEF
Projects to:
Superior colliculus
(through intermediary
Oculomotor N
INC)
Parietal Lobe
Damage
Impairs voluntary control of eye movements, especially smooh
pursuits
Neurons
Show oculomotor activity
Some cells discharge before saccades, during smooth pursuits
and during fixation
Neurons are important for directing visual attention in
extrapersonal space

Projects heavily to
Input from

FEF
Visual cortex
Superior colliculus

Paramedian Pontine Reticular Formation

Action
Regarded as supra-nuclear structure responsible for conjugate
horizontal eye movements
Coordinates horizontal and vertical eye movements via
projections to N6 and riMLF
Commands for horizontal and vertical saccades are probably
programmed in PPRF
Neurons
Has 3 types of saccade-related neurons:
1. Burst cells
2. Pause cells
3. Tonic cells
Input from
Cerebral hemispheres
Superior colliculi
Rostral Interstitial Mlf
Actions
Related to vertical eye movements
Neurons
Activated in short bursts prior to vertical eye movements
Input from
PPRF
Vestibular nuclei
Projects to
Oculomotor nucleus
MLF
Definition

Action

Bundle of fibres originating from different nuclei at various

levels of brainstem
Acts as conduit for connections between different parts of
brainstem

Interstitial Nucleus Of Cajal

Definition
One of three nuclei closely associate with oculomotor compex
Distributed to
Oculomotor complex
Trochlear N
M vestibular nucleus
Spinal cord
Neurons
Carry eye movement signals
Encode complete burst-tonic oculomotor signal
Superior Colliculus
Input from
Projects to

Retina
Striate cotex
Reticular formation
IC
Cervical spinal cord
LGN

(Retionotopic inputs)

Actions

Pulvinar
Dorsal SC concerned with visual processing
Ventral SC concerned with correcting movement of head and
eye

THREE COMPONENTS
1. Final common pathway:
N3: SR and levator, others
N4
N6
Goes through cavernus sinus and superior orbital fissure
2. Premotor and internuclear
Cerebrum
Midbrain
Pons
MLF
riMLF
PPRF
3. Supra-nuclear:
FEF
OEF
Parietal lobes
Flocculus
Paraflocculus
Vermis