THE FUNCTIONAL-ANATOMY OF REMEMBERED SACCADES - A PET STUDY

STUDIES Of patients with damage to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the basal ganglia have shown that these areas are involved in the control of remembered saccades. However, although positron emi ssion tomography (PET) studies of remembered saccades have demonstrate d extensive cortical and subcortical activation, they have failed to d etect any significant increase in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in these areas. This study was designed to see if these areas could be activated. Eight right-handed male volunteers were studied using (H2O )-O-15 PET. Comparison of the rCBF in the remembered saccade task to a rest control state revealed significant activation in both the DLPFC and the basal ganglia, and also the frontal eye fields, the supplement ary motor area, the posterior parietal lobe, the cingulate cortex, the striate cortex, the extrastriate cortex and the superior temporal lob e. These findings confirm that remembered saccades are controlled by a n extensive cortical and subcortical network, which includes the DLPFC and the basal ganglia.