Saccades During Symmetrical Vergence

Overview

Journal Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol

Specialty Ophthalmology

Date 2007 Nov 24

PMID 18034354

Citations 10

Authors

Olivier A Coubard

Zoi Kapoula

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: When the eyes verge symmetrically along the median plane from far to near (convergence) or near to far (divergence), small saccades often occur. The current study aimed to: (i) characterize saccades during symmetrical vergence, (ii) describe the chronometry of saccade relative to that of vergence, and (iii) determine whether saccades mediate prefrontal control of vergence.

Methods: In Experiment 1, we recorded horizontal saccades during vergence in ten normals using an infrared tracker. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was delivered over dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to assess its contribution in saccade production. In Experiment 2, saccades during vergence were recorded in horizontal and vertical planes in two other normals using a video-based tracker.

Results: Horizontal saccades, either pure or oblique (Exp.1), occurred in 84.0% of trials, 58 ms after vergence onset, and averaged 1.5 degrees in amplitude. An idiosyncratic directional bias to the right was found for the rate and the latency of saccades. Prefrontal TMS had no influence on any saccade parameter. Pure horizontal, pure vertical and oblique saccades (Exp.2) occurred, respectively, in 60.4%, 72.4% and 25.4% of trials, 168 ms, 121 ms and 146 ms after vergence onset, averaging 1.1 degrees , 1.2 degrees and 1.5 degrees in amplitude.

Conclusions: Chronometry of saccades during vergence suggests that they do not participate to vergence triggering, and that prefrontal control of vergence previously reported was not mediated by saccades.

Citing Articles

Differential diagnosis of vergence and saccade disorders in dyslexia.

Ward L, Kapoula Z Sci Rep. 2020; 10(1):22116.

PMID: 33335200 PMC: 7747706. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79089-1.

Reflexive Fusional Vergence and Its Plasticity Are Impaired in Convergence Insufficiency.

Erkelens I, Bobier W Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2020; 61(10):21.

PMID: 32780865 PMC: 7441356. DOI: 10.1167/iovs.61.10.21.

Vergence Endurance Test: A Pilot Study for a Concussion Biomarker.

Yaramothu C, Greenspan L, Scheiman M, Alvarez T J Neurotrauma. 2019; 36(14):2200-2212.

PMID: 30829134 PMC: 6653808. DOI: 10.1089/neu.2018.6075.

Objective Evaluation of Vergence Disorders and a Research-Based Novel Method for Vergence Rehabilitation.

Kapoula Z, Morize A, Daniel F, Jonqua F, Orssaud C, Bremond-Gignac D Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2016; 5(2):8.

PMID: 26981330 PMC: 4790421. DOI: 10.1167/tvst.5.2.8.

Functional activity within the frontal eye fields, posterior parietal cortex, and cerebellar vermis significantly correlates to symmetrical vergence peak velocity: an ROI-based, fMRI study of vergence training.

Alvarez T, Jaswal R, Gohel S, Biswal B Front Integr Neurosci. 2014; 8:50.

PMID: 24987340 PMC: 4060559. DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2014.00050.

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