Saccadic, smooth pursuit, and optokinetic eye movements of the trained cat. 1978

C Evinger, and A F Fuchs

1. Cats were trained to track a small target by rewarding them for keeping their eyes on target. Eye movements were measured by the electromagnetic search coil technique. 2. Cat saccades are qualitatively similar to primate saccades, but exhibit more variability in their parameters. However, they have longer durations and lower maximum velocities than primate saccades. As in the monkey, the duration of the horizontal or vertical component of an oblique saccade is lengthened when the orthogonal component has a larger amplitude. Cat saccades can be modified in midflight like human saccades. Opening the visual feed-back loop by controlling target position with eye position causes the cat to execute a staircase of equal amplitude saccades if a retinal error is present. Increasing the amount of visual feed-back induces saccadic oscillations. 3. Horizontal smooth pursuit of a 0 . 5 deg visual target is limited to velocities of less than 1 deg/sec. However, moving an optokinetic background with the 0 . 5 deg target enables the cat to achieve higher horizontal smooth eye velocities of up to 8 . 5 deg/sec. Prolonged (10-20 sec) constant velocity rotation of an optokinetic drum evokes horizontal slow-phase velocities of up to 28 deg/sec. In response to vertical movements of the target and optokinetic background, smooth eye movements reached 6 deg/sec maximum upward velocities but only 2 . 5 deg/sec maximum downward velocities. Opening the feed back loop with no retinal error present causes the eye to exhibit a growing smooth trajectory. The response to a Rashbass step-ramp target suggests that the feline smooth response is a function of target movement rather than displacement. 4. These data suggest that cat saccadic eye movements resemble those of primates while the cat smooth pursuit and optokinetically induced eye movements are more similar to those of the rabbit.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009039 Motion Perception The real or apparent movement of objects through the visual field. Movement Perception,Perception, Motion,Perception, Movement
D009799 Ocular Physiological Phenomena Processes and properties of the EYE as a whole or of any of its parts. Ocular Physiologic Processes,Ocular Physiological Processes,Ocular Physiology,Eye Physiology,Ocular Physiologic Process,Ocular Physiological Concepts,Ocular Physiological Phenomenon,Ocular Physiological Process,Physiology of the Eye,Physiology, Ocular,Visual Physiology,Concept, Ocular Physiological,Concepts, Ocular Physiological,Ocular Physiological Concept,Phenomena, Ocular Physiological,Phenomenon, Ocular Physiological,Physiologic Process, Ocular,Physiologic Processes, Ocular,Physiological Concept, Ocular,Physiological Concepts, Ocular,Physiological Process, Ocular,Physiological Processes, Ocular,Physiology, Eye,Physiology, Visual,Process, Ocular Physiologic,Process, Ocular Physiological,Processes, Ocular Physiologic,Processes, Ocular Physiological
D002415 Cats The domestic cat, Felis catus, of the carnivore family FELIDAE, comprising over 30 different breeds. The domestic cat is descended primarily from the wild cat of Africa and extreme southwestern Asia. Though probably present in towns in Palestine as long ago as 7000 years, actual domestication occurred in Egypt about 4000 years ago. (From Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed, p801) Felis catus,Felis domesticus,Domestic Cats,Felis domestica,Felis sylvestris catus,Cat,Cat, Domestic,Cats, Domestic,Domestic Cat
D005133 Eye Movements Voluntary or reflex-controlled movements of the eye. Eye Movement,Movement, Eye,Movements, Eye
D005246 Feedback A mechanism of communication within a system in that the input signal generates an output response which returns to influence the continued activity or productivity of that system. Feedbacks
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012438 Saccades An abrupt voluntary shift in ocular fixation from one point to another, as occurs in reading. Pursuit, Saccadic,Saccadic Eye Movements,Eye Movement, Saccadic,Eye Movements, Saccadic,Movement, Saccadic Eye,Movements, Saccadic Eye,Pursuits, Saccadic,Saccade,Saccadic Eye Movement,Saccadic Pursuit,Saccadic Pursuits

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