Elsevier

Experimental Neurology

Volume 86, Issue 2, November 1984, Pages 359-378
Experimental Neurology

Unit activity related to head and eye movements in central thalamus of cats

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Abstract

Single-unit activity was recorded with stereotaxically guided microelectrodes in the central thalamus of five alert cats. The animals were studied with the head either fixed or free to move in a horizontal plane. They were trained to make eye and/or head movements toward discrete visual targets presented on a screen. Unit activity was analyzed in relation to triggered and spontaneous gaze displacements with head fixed and free successively. Four groups of cells were found, all within the thalamic internal medullary lamina: 20 cells were active with eye but not head movements, 49 with head but not eye movements, 36 with head or eye movements, and 17 responding to visual stimuli in the absence of movement. The patterns of firing during gaze shifts are described. It is hypothesized that eye- or head-related units carry a signal representing gaze driving.

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  • Cited by (0)

    2

    H. Maldonado was a fellow of CoNaCyT 16002 (Mexico).

    1

    This study was supported by a U.S. Public Health Service grant (NS04955) to J. Schlag. We thank Dr. M. Schlag-Rey and B. Merker for their advice and V. Pagano, D. Blanco, and K. Zib for their assistance during this project.

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