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Mechanisms that allow cortical preparatory activity without inappropriate movement.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Darlington, TR; Lisberger, SG
Published in: Elife
February 21, 2020

We reveal a novel mechanism that explains how preparatory activity can evolve in motor-related cortical areas without prematurely inducing movement. The smooth eye movement region of the frontal eye fields (FEFSEM) is a critical node in the neural circuit controlling smooth pursuit eye movement. Preparatory activity evolves in the monkey FEFSEM during fixation in parallel with an objective measure of visual-motor gain. We propose that the use of FEFSEM output as a gain signal rather than a movement command allows for preparation to progress in pursuit without causing movement. We also show that preparatory modulation of firing rate in FEFSEM predicts movement, providing evidence against the 'movement-null' space hypothesis as an explanation of how preparatory activity can progress without movement. Finally, there is a partial reorganization of FEFSEM population activity between preparation and movement that would allow for a directionally non-specific component of preparatory visual-motor gain enhancement in pursuit.

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Published In

Elife

DOI

EISSN

2050-084X

Publication Date

February 21, 2020

Volume

9

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Visual Fields
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Fixation, Ocular
  • Eye Movements
  • Cerebral Cortex
  • Animals
  • 42 Health sciences
  • 32 Biomedical and clinical sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology
 

Citation

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Darlington, T. R., & Lisberger, S. G. (2020). Mechanisms that allow cortical preparatory activity without inappropriate movement. Elife, 9. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.50962
Darlington, Timothy R., and Stephen G. Lisberger. “Mechanisms that allow cortical preparatory activity without inappropriate movement.Elife 9 (February 21, 2020). https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.50962.
Darlington, Timothy R., and Stephen G. Lisberger. “Mechanisms that allow cortical preparatory activity without inappropriate movement.Elife, vol. 9, Feb. 2020. Pubmed, doi:10.7554/eLife.50962.

Published In

Elife

DOI

EISSN

2050-084X

Publication Date

February 21, 2020

Volume

9

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Visual Fields
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Fixation, Ocular
  • Eye Movements
  • Cerebral Cortex
  • Animals
  • 42 Health sciences
  • 32 Biomedical and clinical sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology