The superior colliculus (SC), one of the most well-characterized midbrain sensorimotor structures where visual, auditory, and somatosensory information are integrated to initiate motor commands, is highly conserved across vertebrate evolution. Moreover, cell-type-specific SC neurons integrate afferent signals within local networks to generate defined output related to innate and cognitive behaviors. This review focuses on the recent progress in understanding of phenotypic diversity amongst SC neurons and their intrinsic circuits and long-projection targets. We further describe relevant neural circuits and specific cell types in relation to behavioral outputs and cognitive functions. The systematic delineation of SC organization, cell types, and neural connections is further put into context across species as these depend upon laminar architecture. Moreover, we focus on SC neural circuitry involving saccadic eye movement, and cognitive and innate behaviors. Overall, the review provides insight into SC functioning and represents a basis for further understanding of the pathology associated with SC dysfunction.
Superior Colliculi/physiology* ; Saccades ; Neurons/physiology*

Biomechanical Phenomena ; Eye Movements ; Neurons/physiology* ; Pursuit, Smooth ; Saccades

Active exploratory behaviors have often been associated with theta oscillations in rodents, while theta oscillations during active exploration in non-human primates are still not well understood. We recorded neural activities in the frontal eye field (FEF) and V4 simultaneously when monkeys performed a free-gaze visual search task. Saccades were strongly phase-locked to theta oscillations of V4 and FEF local field potentials, and the phase-locking was dependent on saccade direction. The spiking probability of V4 and FEF units was significantly modulated by the theta phase in addition to the time-locked modulation associated with the evoked response. V4 and FEF units showed significantly stronger responses following saccades initiated at their preferred phases. Granger causality and ridge regression analysis showed modulatory effects of theta oscillations on saccade timing. Together, our study suggests phase-locking of saccades to the theta modulation of neural activity in visual and oculomotor cortical areas, in addition to the theta phase locking caused by saccade-triggered responses.
Animals ; Frontal Lobe/physiology* ; Macaca mulatta ; Neurons/physiology* ; Saccades ; Theta Rhythm ; Visual Fields

Recent work in decision neuroscience suggests that visual saliency can interact with reward-based choice, and the lateral intraparietal cortex (LIP) is implicated in this process. In this study, we recorded from LIP neurons while monkeys performed a two alternative choice task in which the reward and luminance associated with each offer were varied independently. We discovered that the animal's choice was dictated by the reward amount while the luminance had a marginal effect. In the LIP, neuronal activity corresponded well with the animal's choice pattern, in that a majority of reward-modulated neurons encoded the reward amount in the neuron's preferred hemifield with a positive slope. In contrast, compared to their responses to low luminance, an approximately equal proportion of luminance-sensitive neurons responded to high luminance with increased or decreased activity, leading to a much weaker population-level response. Meanwhile, in the non-preferred hemifield, the strength of encoding for reward amount and luminance was positively correlated, suggesting the integration of these two factors in the LIP. Moreover, neurons encoding reward and luminance were homogeneously distributed along the anterior-posterior axis of the LIP. Overall, our study provides further evidence supporting the neural instantiation of a priority map in the LIP in reward-based decisions.
Animals ; Macaca mulatta/physiology* ; Parietal Lobe ; Neurons/physiology* ; Saccades ; Reward ; Photic Stimulation

OBJECTIVES: To explore the difference of eye movement characteristics between uncooperative and cooperative subjects with mental disorder after cerebral trauma. METHODS: Thirty-nine subjects which needed psychiatric impairment assessment were selected. According to the binomial forced-choice digit memory test （BFDMT）, all subjects were divided into cooperative and uncooperative groups. The subjects were asked to take the image completion test from Wechsler adult intelligence scale. Meanwhile, the data of eye movement track, fixation, saccade, pupil and blink were recorded by the track system of eye movement. RESULTS: There were significantly differences （P<0.05） in the data of saccade between cooperative （10 cases） and uncooperative groups （29 cases）. The frequency, time, amplitude, acceleration of saccadic in uncooperative group were significantly higher than cooperation group. The saccade latencies of cooperation group increased more than uncooperative group. There was a significant difference （P<0.05） in total discrete distance, average distance and total time of fixation between two groups, while the average duration time, number and frequency of fixation had no significantly difference （P>0.05） between two groups. And the blink frequency of cooperation group was higher than uncooperative group. CONCLUSIONS Eye movement can be an objective index for the primary judgment of cooperation level.
Adult ; Eye Movement Measurements ; Eye Movements/physiology* ; Humans ; Intelligence Tests ; Saccades/physiology* ; Wechsler Scales

The relationships between eye movements and head movements of the primate during gaze shifts are analyzed in detail in the present paper. Applying the mechanisms of neurophysiology to engineering domain, we have improved the robot eye-head coordination. A bionic control strategy of coordinated head-eye motion was proposed. The processes of gaze shifts are composed of an initial fast phase followed by a slow phase. In the fast phase saccade eye movements and slow head movements were combined, which cooperate to bring gaze from an initial resting position toward the new target rapidly, while in the slow phase the gaze stability and target fixation were ensured by the action of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) where the eyes and head rotate by equal amplitudes in opposite directions. A bionic gaze control model was given. The simulation results confirmed the effectiveness of the model by comparing with the results of neurophysiology experiments.
Bionics ; Eye Movements ; physiology ; Fixation, Ocular ; physiology ; Head Movements ; physiology ; Humans ; Ocular Physiological Phenomena ; Orientation ; Photic Stimulation ; Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular ; physiology ; Saccades ; physiology

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to establish a set of normative data values for saccade movements using videonystagmography and to evaluate the effects of manual correction on this data. METHODS: We examined 25 healthy subjects (9 men and 16 women). All tests were carried out by one well-instructed physician. Errors such as the wrong detection of the inflection point, missing movement, and prediction occurred during some tests. Thus, the same physician manually corrected the data by deleting error data from row results. RESULTS: We established a set of normative data for horizontal saccade movements (amplitude size 15 and 30 degrees) for mean peak velocity, latency, and accuracy. Manual correction only impacted latency and accuracy at 30 degrees horizontal, which is likely related to possible errors during the test. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides clinically useful videonystagmography-based normative data for clinicians regarding saccade movements in Korean individuals.
Adult ; Female ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Male ; Oculomotor Muscles/*physiology ; Photic Stimulation ; Reference Values ; Reproducibility of Results ; Saccades/*physiology ; Video Recording/*methods ; Young Adult

To assess the clinical application of video head impulse test (vHIT) for vestibular function in vestibular neuritis (VN) and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) patients.Thirty-three patients with VN and 43 patients with BPPV were enrolled from Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital and Ningbo Second Hospital from March 15 to September 10, 2015; and 50 healthy controls were also enrolled in the study. vHIT was used to quantitatively test the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gains of a pair of horizontal semicircular canals. VOR gains two pairs of vertical semicircular canals, and the corresponding asymmetrical value of three VOR gains. The saccades information was also recorded.Compared with the healthy control group and BPPV patients, the affected horizontal and vertical VOR gains were declined and the corresponding asymmetries were increased in VN patients (all<0.01). BPPV group also showed higher vertical VOR gain asymmetries compared with the healthy control group (all<0.01), but no significant difference was observed in VOR gains and horizontal VOR gain asymmetry (all>0.05). The sensibility of vHIT in diagnosis of VN was 87.9%. Among 33 VN patients, 22 were diagnosed with superior vestibular nerve dysfunction, 7 were found with inferior vestibular nerve dysfunction and 3 were with both dysfunction; and 1 case was not distinguished.Video head impulse test can quantitatively evaluate the vestibular dysfunction of VN and can help early diagnosis of VN, which may be widely used in clinic.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo ; diagnosis ; Head Impulse Test ; Humans ; Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular ; physiology ; Saccades ; physiology ; Semicircular Canals ; innervation ; physiopathology ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Vestibular Diseases ; classification ; diagnosis ; Vestibular Nerve ; pathology ; Vestibular Neuronitis ; classification ; diagnosis