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fMRI of Optokinetic Eye Movements With and Without a Contribution of Smooth Pursuit
Article first published online: 21 DEC 2007
DOI: 10.1111/j.1552-6569.2007.00204.x
©2008 by the American Society of Neuroimaging
Additional Information
How to Cite
Schraa-Tam, C. K., Van Der Lugt, A., Smits, M., Frens, M. A., Van Broekhoven, P. and Van Der Geest, J. N. (2008), fMRI of Optokinetic Eye Movements With and Without a Contribution of Smooth Pursuit. Journal of Neuroimaging, 18: 158–167. doi: 10.1111/j.1552-6569.2007.00204.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 21 DEC 2007
- Article first published online: 21 DEC 2007
- Acceptance: Received July 16, 2007, and in revised form July 16, 2007. Accepted for publication August 23, 2007.
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Keywords:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging;
- eye movements;
- optokinetic;
- smooth pursuit;
- visual stimulation;
- nystagmus
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Optokinetic eye movements are elicited when tracking a moving pattern. It can be argued that a moving pattern of stripes invokes both the optokinetic and the smooth pursuit eye movement system, which may confound the observed brain activation patterns using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). A moving pattern of limited-lifetime-dot stimulation does not target the smooth pursuit eye movement system.
METHODS
fMRI was used to compare the cortical activity elicited by an optokinetic eye movement response evoked by a moving pattern of stripes and a moving pattern of limited lifetime dots.
RESULTS
The eye movement behavior showed that both types of stimuli evoked an adequate and similar optokinetic eye movement response, but stimulation with stripes evoked more activation in the frontal and parietal eye fields, MT/V5, and in the cerebellar area VI than stimulation with limited-lifetime dots.
CONCLUSIONS
These brain areas are implicated in smooth pursuit eye movements. Our results suggest that indeed both the optokinetic and the smooth pursuit eye movement system are involved in tracking a moving pattern of stripes.