Subcortical Control over Movement of the Eyes

These flashcards cover critical vocabulary and concepts related to the superior colliculus and its role in eye movement control.

Superior Colliculus

A structure in the midbrain involved in controlling eye movements and visual processing.

Retinotopically encoded map

A spatial representation of the visual field arranged according to the arrangement of retinal ganglion cells.

Saccade

A rapid movement of the eye between fixation points.

Electromyography (EMG)

Technique to measure muscle activity through electrical signals.

Electrooculography (EOG)

Technique used to measure eye movement by detecting electrical potential changes.

Visuomotor integration

The process by which visual stimuli are transformed into motor actions.

Movement field

The area of the visual field to which a neuron in the superior colliculus responds by activating eye movements.

Reflexive saccades

Rapid eye movements triggered by peripheral stimuli.

Fixation reflex

Reflex that helps maintain the position of the eyes when a stimulus is present at fixation.

Opponent processes

Neural processes where activation of one pathway inhibits the other, as seen in fixation and saccadic eye movements.

Fixation Offset Effect (FOE)

A measure of the responsiveness of the fixation reflex based on reaction time differences in overlap versus offset conditions.

Contralateral hemifield

The visual field opposite to the side of the brain hemisphere.

Neuron discharge

The action potential activity of a neuron in response to stimuli.

Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta)

A primate species often used in neuroscience experiments.