The Neural
Control of Visually Guided Eye Movements
C. Cortical Mechanisms of Visually Guided Saccadic Eye Movements
In summary, electrical stimulation in the lower
layers of V1 and V2 produces facilitation, whereas in the upper layers
it produces interference. In LIP both of these effects can be obtained
in different subregions. In addition, at those sites where cells discharge
with fixation, stimulation prolongs fixation time. In the medial and frontal
eye fields only facilitatory effects were found. Lastly, in V4 electrical
stimulation was ineffective.
The next step in learning more about target selection
with eye movements entailed examination of the consequences of local injection
of pharmacological agents into various brain areas. To accomplish this,
electrodes were devised that enabled us to first record or stimulate and
to then inject selected agents. The procedures were simlar to those described
with stimulation (see Figures 15
and 16). After establishing
the location of the visual or motor field of the neurons two targets were
presented with one centered in the field. Data were then collected before,
during and after injecting pharmacological agents in minute quantities.
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