Abstract
The pattern of acceleration was recorded during horizontal saccadic eye movements using a lightweight accelerometer fixed to a scleral contact lens. Horizontal saccades of 15–20° were dominated by either several pulses of acceleration, with a frequency of around 40 Hz, or a single acceleration-deceleration wave followed by lower amplitude polyphasic activity of about 80 Hz. These features are unlikely to be due to slippage or resonance in the contact lens-accelerometer system, as very similar patterns of acceleration were simultaneously recorded with an accelerometer taped over the closed eyelid of the contralateral eye. Analysis of simultaneous surface electromyogram recordings indicated that the multicomponent acceleration profiles were the product, at least in part, of the rhythmic and synchronous modulation of eye muscle discharge during saccades.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abel L A, Traccis S, Troost BT, Dell’Osso LF (1987) Saccadic trajectories change with amplitude, not time. Neuro-ophthalmology 7: 309–314
Ashton JA, Boddy A, Donaldson IML, Lakie M, Walsh EG, Wright GW (1985) Dynamics of movements of the cat’s eye (abstract). J Physiol (Lond) 358: 40P
Bahill AT, Stark L (1975) Overlapping saccades and glissades are produced by fatigue in the saccadic eye movement system. Exp Neurol 48: 95–106
Bengi H, Thomas JG (1968) Fixation tremor in relation to eyeballmuscle mechanics. Nature 217: 773–778
Boyce PR, West DC (1968) The frequency response of contact lens stalk assemblies. Vision Res 8: 475–480
Bjork A, Kugelberg E (1953) The electrical activity of the muscles of the eye and eyelids in various positions and during movement. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 5: 595–602
Brown P (1996) Direct recordings of eye acceleration in human saccades (abstract). J Physiol (Lond) 491: 119P
Carpenter RHS (1977) Movements of the eyes, Pion, London
Coakley D (1983) Minute eye movement and brain stem function. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida
Eizenman M, Hallett PE, Frecker RC (1985) Power spectra of ocular drift and tremor. Vision Res 25: 1635–1640
Fuchs AF, Luschei ES (1971) Development of isometric tension in simian extraocular muscle. J Physiol (Lond) 219: 155–166
Lehman SL, Stark LW (1983) Multipulse controller signals. II. Time optimality. Biol Cybern 48: 5–8
Ohm J (1928) Die Hebelnystagmographie. Albrecht Graefes Arch Ophthalmol 120: 235–252
Riggs LA, Merton PA, Morton HB (1974) Suppression of visual phosphenes during saccadic eye movements. Vision Res 14: 997–1011
Robinson DA (1964) The mechanics of human saccadic eye movement. J Physiol (Lond) 174: 245–264
Robinson DA (1968) A note on the oculomotor pathway. Exp Neurol 22: 130–132
Sindermann F, Geiselmann B, Fischler M (1978) Single motor unit activity in extraocular muscles in man during fixation and saccades. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 45: 64–73
Thomas JG (1969) The dynamics of small saccadic eye movements. J Physiol (Lond) 200: 109–127
Van Gisbergen JAM, Robinson DA, Gielen S (1981) A quantitative analysis of generation of saccadic eye movements by burst neurons. J. Neurophysiol 45: 417–442
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brown, P., Day, B.L. Eye acceleration during large horizontal saccades in man. Exp Brain Res 113, 153–157 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02454151
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02454151