Control of Eye Movements
Per Brodal · Oxford University Press eBooks · 2016
Chapter 25 deals with the control of eye movements and its neural basis. The control system produces quick and precise saccadic eye movements to make the image fall on the macula and also slow-pursuit movements ensuring that the retinal image is stationary. The extraocular muscles moving the eyes receive their nerve supply from the nuclei of three cranial nerves. Premotor networks interconnecting the cerebral cortex, the brain stem, and the cerebellum coordinate the eye muscle activity. Sensory information comes from the retina, the vestibular apparatus, and proprioceptors in the eye muscles. For control of horizontal eye movements the paramedian pontine reticular formation is of special importance. A corresponding premotor area for vertical eye movements lies in the mesencephalic reticular formation. The frontal eye field and areas in the parietotemporal region are mainly involved in the control of saccadic and pursuit movements, respectively.