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The Primate Flocculus in Visual-vestibular Interactions: Conceptual, Neurophysiological, and Anatomical Problems

  • Conference paper
Cerebellar Functions

Part of the book series: Proceedings in Life Sciences ((LIFE SCIENCES))

Abstract

Unblurred vision is mandatory for the orderly processing of visual information during eye and head movements; image slip on the retina of only a few degrees per second diminishes visual acuity (Westheimer and McKee, 1975). Several mechanisms have developed to generate slow eye movements which are aimed at preventing blurring of images on the retina during movements. Head movements induce in all mammals slow eye movements, i.e. compensatory eye movements, into the direction opposite to the head movement via the vestibulo-ocular reflex arc (VOR). Movements of large parts of the visual surround or of single objects induce slow eye movements into the direction of the moving pattern. Continuous rotation of the visual surround induces in foveate and afoveate animals a typical repetitive sequence of eye movements, optokinetic nystagmus (OKN). In foveate animals movement of a single target object can elicit smooth pursuit eye movements.

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  1. Department of Neurology, University Hospital, 8091, Zürich, Switzerland

    V. Henn

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  1. W. Waespe
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  2. V. Henn
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Barrow Neurological Institute St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, 350 West Thomas Rd., 85013, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

    James R. Bloedel

  2. Neurologische Klinik, Universität Tübingen, Liebermeisterstraße 18-20, 7400, Tübingen, Germany

    Johannes Dichgans

  3. Institut für Hirnforschung, Universität Zürich, August-Forel-Straße 1, CH-8029, Zürich, Switzerland

    Wolfgang Precht

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Waespe, W., Henn, V. (1984). The Primate Flocculus in Visual-vestibular Interactions: Conceptual, Neurophysiological, and Anatomical Problems. In: Bloedel, J.R., Dichgans, J., Precht, W. (eds) Cerebellar Functions. Proceedings in Life Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69980-1_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69980-1_8

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