Cortical networks subserving pursuit and saccadic eye movements in humans:An FMRI study

Citation
Ra. Berman et al., Cortical networks subserving pursuit and saccadic eye movements in humans:An FMRI study, HUM BRAIN M, 8(4), 1999, pp. 209-225
Citations number
90
Categorie Soggetti
Neurosciences & Behavoir
Journal title
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
ISSN journal
10659471 → ACNP
Volume
8
Issue
4
Year of publication
1999
Pages
209 - 225
Database
ISI
SICI code
1065-9471(1999)8:4<209:CNSPAS>2.0.ZU;2-V
Abstract
High-field (3 Tesla) functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used t o investigate the cortical circuitry subserving pursuit tracking in humans and compare it to that for saccadic eye movements. Pursuit performance, rel ative to visual fixation, elicited activation in three areas known to contr ibute to eye movements in humans and in nonhuman primates: the frontal eye field, supplementary eye field, and intraparietal sulcus. It also activated three medial regions not previously identified in human neuroimaging studi es of pursuit: the precuneus and the anterior and posterior cingulate corti ces. All six areas were also activated during saccades. The spatial extent of activation was similar for saccades and pursuit in all but two regions: spatial extent was greater for saccades in the superior branch of the front al eye field and greater for pursuit in posterior cingulate cortex. This se t of activations for smooth pursuit parallels the network of oculomotor are as characterized in nonhuman primates and complements recent studies showin g that common cortical networks subserve oculomotor functions and spatial a ttention in humans. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.