STUDIES OF VISUAL PROCESSING & SMOOTH EYE MOVEMENTS

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Our studies are directed at defining the neural substrate for visual processing related to normal and pathological smooth pursuit eye movements and gaze-holding. We are working to define the role of early visual experience in the development of eye movement systems, eye alignment and gaze-holding. The visual and oculomotor systems are not mature at birth. If early visual experience is compromised by injury or congenital defect, eye movement disorders can follow that can compromise clear vision. During the last year we have made significant progress demonstrating that the dorsolateral pontine nucleus is essential for smooth pursuit adaptation. We have also demonstrated that the nasalward smooth pursuit bias associated with experimental esotropia in monkeys is due to a visual-oculomotor processing deficit. This is because we found that smooth eye movements generated by the vestibular ocular reflex were symmetric in esotropes event though comparable volitional smooth pursuit eye movements were highly asymmetric. Our current studies are examining the neuroal substrate for this disorder in areas MST, MT and frontal eye fields.