Does attention affect the motor programs of pharmacologically induced eye movements?
Attention plays an important role in oculomotor function. We studied the effect of attentional stimuli on eye movements induced by ketamine. The experiments were carried out on three monkeys. Ketamine injected intramuscularly induced nystagmus. When we switched on a new stimulus these eye movements stopped and the animal made a saccade toward it. This may be due to a new motor program, triggered by a visual stimulus, that among its characteristics is able to engage the animal's attention. The program of evoked saccade is overwritten on induced oculomotor activity. Our results suggest that attentional processes modify the dynamic characteristics and induce in particular behavioral condition a new motor program.
Bon
L
L
Istituto di Fisiologia, Universitá di Trieste, Italy.
Lucchetti
C
C
D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003624:Darkness; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007649:Ketamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008027:Light; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008254:Macaca nemestrina; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009759:Nystagmus, Pathologic / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology; D012438:Saccades; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior; D013997:Time Factors
D007649:Ketamine