Neurology of saccades and smooth pursuit

During the period covered by this review a number of papers have been publi shed on saccade and smooth pursuit research, conducted experimentally in mo nkeys and clinically in humans. In monkeys, using mainly electrophysiologic al methods, the roles of the frontal eye field, parietal eye field and supp lementary eye field at the cortical level, and those of the paramedian pont ine reticular formation, nucleus prepositus hypoglossi, interstitial nucleu s of Cajal and superior colliculus at the brainstem level have been studied in great detail. In humans the same cortical areas have also been examined , mainly using functional imaging resulting in new information on the locat ion of these areas and new hypotheses on the role of the superior parietal lobule in visual attention and that of the posterior part of the anterior c ingulate cortex in motivation. Saccades, smooth pursuit and clinical applic ations of eye movement research are dealt with separately. Curr Opin Neurol 12:13-19. (C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.