Cortical Planning and Control of Smooth Pursuit

描述（由申请人提供）：我们的目标是了解额叶皮层如何控制平滑的眼球运动。先前的工作已经阐明了涉及反身性追求的其他区域。然而，当认知介入时，额叶回路可能参与其中。我们利用额叶损伤患者通常缺乏的认知功能，如规则编码、集合转移和决策，开发了一种追求去/不去范式，以区分额叶结构在追求控制中的功能。辅助眼野（SEF）和额叶眼野（FEF）在范式中都是不同的活跃，我们在人类和猴子的初步单单位数据中得到的fMRI结果表明，腹侧前额叶皮层（VLPFC）也有不同的活跃。我们建议确定这些区域如何在执行或保留规则上下文中的追求运动的决策中相互作用。目的：1)表征SEF和FEF编码基于规则的动眼肌“如果”决定2)研究SEF和FEF参与基于规则的“当”信号的进化3)确定VLPFC在心理设置转换中的作用公共卫生相关性我们的研究将深入了解正常动眼肌系统中认知动眼肌功能的神经通路，以便诊断患有认知障碍的患者的额叶皮质损伤。我们也做了功能磁共振成像的工作来提供猴子和人类大脑区域之间的联系。这项工作应该有助于翻译我们的刺激在诊断过程中使用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Our goal is to understand how frontal cortex controls smooth pursuit eye movements. Previous work has elucidated other regions involved in reflexive pursuit. However, when cognition intervenes, frontal lobe circuitry likely participates. We have developed a pursuit go/nogo paradigm that exploits cognitive functions often deficient in patients with frontal lobe damage, such as rule encoding, set shifting and decision making, in an effort to differentiate functions of frontal structures in pursuit control. Both the supplementary eye field (SEF) and frontal eye field (FEF) are differentially active during the paradigm, and our fMRI results in humans and preliminary single-unit data in monkey suggest that ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) is also. We propose to determine how these regions interact in the decision to execute or withhold a pursuit movement in the context of a rule. Aims are: 1) Characterize SEF and FEF encoding of a rule-based oculomotor "if" decision 2) Investigate SEF and FEF involvement in the evolution of a rule-based "when" signal 3) Determine the role of the VLPFC in mental set-switching PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE Our research will provide insight into the neuronal pathways that underlie cognitive oculomotor function in the normal oculomotor system, to allow diagnosis of frontal cortical damage in patients who have cognitive disorders. We have also done fMRI work to provide a linkage between monkey and human brain regions. This work should aid in translating our stimuli towards use in the diagnosis process.