Saccadic Eye Movement Studies

描述(申请人提供)：这项研究的长期目标是了解大脑如何将感觉信息转换为运动的命令。眼球运动系统是一个很好的研究模型，因为它的外周机制和肌肉结构简单，而且可以很容易地准确测量眼球运动。由于这些优点，组成神经元的类型，它们的放电模式，以及各种动眼神经子系统的许多联系都相对容易理解。也许研究最多的眼球运动类型是被称为扫视的快速扫描运动。我们研究的具体目标是继续这一详细的描述，以便为确定神经成分实际如何产生眼跳提供基础，并为研究高阶神经过程奠定基础。最近的研究表明，小脑中线与眼跳的直接控制有关。我们的具体目标是开始调查它的贡献。进入小脑的主要脑干输入来自被盖网状核(Nrtp)，因此我们将通过记录、电刺激和神经活性物质的可逆性激活来评估nrtp的功能。我们将研究正常眼跳和动物需要适应眼跳幅度的范例中的nrtp神经元。我们认为nrtp通路介导了眼跳的前馈和反馈控制，并希望根据我们将在这些研究中提供的信息来量化这一假说。由于准确的眼球运动对于清晰的视觉是必不可少的，这些研究有助于我们理解正常的视觉机制。它们还提供了一个例子，说明神经系统如何将(视觉)感觉信息处理成(跳动的)运动反应，并可能有助于解释对(视觉)目标选择等中间过程的研究。最后，由多种原因引起的神经系统功能障碍的诊断和定位通过眼球运动功能(即眼睛的体征)的特征得到了显著的进步。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term objective of this research is to understand how the brain translates sensory information into the commands for movements. The oculomotor system is an excellent model for study because of its simple peripheral mechanics and musculature and the ease with which eye movements can be accurately measured. Because of these advantages, the component neuron types, their discharge patterns, and many of the connections of various oculomotor subsystems are comparatively well understood. Perhaps the most-studied type of eye movements is the quick, scanning movements called saccades. The specific goal of our research is to continue this detailed description in order to provide a basis for determining how the neural components actually produce saccades and to serve as a foundation for the study of higher-order neural processes. Recent studies have implicated the midline cerebellum in the direct control of saccades. Our specific aims are to begin to investigate its contribution. The major brainstem input to the cerebellum is from the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis (nrtp) so we will assess the function of the nrtp using recording, electrical stimulation and reversible (in) activation with neuroactive agents. We will study nrtp neurons during normal saccades and in paradigms in which the animal is required to adapt the amplitude of the saccade. We suggest that the nrtp pathway mediates feed forward and feedback control of saccades and hope to quantify this hypothesis based on the information we will provide in these studies. Because accurate eye movements are essential for clear vision, these studies contribute to our understanding of normal visual mechanisms. They also provide an example of how the nervous system processes (visual) sensory information into (saccadic) motor responses and may help to interpret studies of the intervening processes like (visual) target selection. Finally, the diagnosis and localization of nervous system dysfunction resulting from a wide variety of causes has been significantly advanced by the characterization of oculomotor functions (i.e., eye signs).