Causal Role of Neural Signals Transmitted From the Frontal Eye Field to the Superior Colliculus in Saccade Generation
The frontal eye field (FEF) and superior colliculus (SC) are major and well-studied components of the oculomotor system. The FEF sends strong projections to the SC directly, and neurons in these brain regions transmit a variety of signals related to saccadic eye movements. Electrical microstimulatio...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neural Circuits |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fncir.2018.00069/full |
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| author | Masayuki Matsumoto Masayuki Matsumoto Masayuki Matsumoto Ken-ichi Inoue Ken-ichi Inoue Masahiko Takada |
| author_facet | Masayuki Matsumoto Masayuki Matsumoto Masayuki Matsumoto Ken-ichi Inoue Ken-ichi Inoue Masahiko Takada |
| author_sort | Masayuki Matsumoto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The frontal eye field (FEF) and superior colliculus (SC) are major and well-studied components of the oculomotor system. The FEF sends strong projections to the SC directly, and neurons in these brain regions transmit a variety of signals related to saccadic eye movements. Electrical microstimulation and pharmacological manipulation targeting the FEF or SC affect saccadic eye movements. These data suggest the causal contribution of each region to saccade generation. To understand how the brain generates behavior, however, it is critical not only to identify the structures and functions of individual regions, but also to elucidate how they interact with each other. In this review article, we first survey previous works that aimed at investigating whether and how the FEF and SC interact to regulate saccadic eye movements using electrophysiological and pharmacological techniques. These works have reported what signals FEF neurons transmit to the SC and what roles such signals play in regulating oculomotor behavior. We then highlight a recent attempt of our own that has applied an optogenetic approach to stimulate the neural pathway from the FEF to the SC in nonhuman primates. This study has shown that optogenetic stimulation of the FEF-SC pathway is sufficiently effective not only to modulate SC neuron activity, but also to evoke saccadic eye movements. Although the oculomotor system is a complex neural network composed of numbers of cortical and subcortical regions, the optogenetic approach will provide a powerful strategy for elucidating the role of each neural pathway constituting this network. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T15:51:19Z |
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| id | doaj.art-b0e2956e8eff464d949aeb7e64ef3f77 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5110 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T15:51:19Z |
| publishDate | 2018-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neural Circuits |
| spelling | doaj.art-b0e2956e8eff464d949aeb7e64ef3f772022-12-21T19:34:41ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neural Circuits1662-51102018-08-011210.3389/fncir.2018.00069366724Causal Role of Neural Signals Transmitted From the Frontal Eye Field to the Superior Colliculus in Saccade GenerationMasayuki Matsumoto0Masayuki Matsumoto1Masayuki Matsumoto2Ken-ichi Inoue3Ken-ichi Inoue4Masahiko Takada5Division of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, JapanGraduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, JapanTransborder Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, JapanSystems Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, JapanPrecursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi, JapanSystems Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, JapanThe frontal eye field (FEF) and superior colliculus (SC) are major and well-studied components of the oculomotor system. The FEF sends strong projections to the SC directly, and neurons in these brain regions transmit a variety of signals related to saccadic eye movements. Electrical microstimulation and pharmacological manipulation targeting the FEF or SC affect saccadic eye movements. These data suggest the causal contribution of each region to saccade generation. To understand how the brain generates behavior, however, it is critical not only to identify the structures and functions of individual regions, but also to elucidate how they interact with each other. In this review article, we first survey previous works that aimed at investigating whether and how the FEF and SC interact to regulate saccadic eye movements using electrophysiological and pharmacological techniques. These works have reported what signals FEF neurons transmit to the SC and what roles such signals play in regulating oculomotor behavior. We then highlight a recent attempt of our own that has applied an optogenetic approach to stimulate the neural pathway from the FEF to the SC in nonhuman primates. This study has shown that optogenetic stimulation of the FEF-SC pathway is sufficiently effective not only to modulate SC neuron activity, but also to evoke saccadic eye movements. Although the oculomotor system is a complex neural network composed of numbers of cortical and subcortical regions, the optogenetic approach will provide a powerful strategy for elucidating the role of each neural pathway constituting this network.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fncir.2018.00069/fullfrontal eye fieldsuperior colliculussaccadeoptogeneticsmacaque monkey |
| spellingShingle | Masayuki Matsumoto Masayuki Matsumoto Masayuki Matsumoto Ken-ichi Inoue Ken-ichi Inoue Masahiko Takada Causal Role of Neural Signals Transmitted From the Frontal Eye Field to the Superior Colliculus in Saccade Generation Frontiers in Neural Circuits frontal eye field superior colliculus saccade optogenetics macaque monkey |
| title | Causal Role of Neural Signals Transmitted From the Frontal Eye Field to the Superior Colliculus in Saccade Generation |
| title_full | Causal Role of Neural Signals Transmitted From the Frontal Eye Field to the Superior Colliculus in Saccade Generation |
| title_fullStr | Causal Role of Neural Signals Transmitted From the Frontal Eye Field to the Superior Colliculus in Saccade Generation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Causal Role of Neural Signals Transmitted From the Frontal Eye Field to the Superior Colliculus in Saccade Generation |
| title_short | Causal Role of Neural Signals Transmitted From the Frontal Eye Field to the Superior Colliculus in Saccade Generation |
| title_sort | causal role of neural signals transmitted from the frontal eye field to the superior colliculus in saccade generation |
| topic | frontal eye field superior colliculus saccade optogenetics macaque monkey |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fncir.2018.00069/full |
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