title: Eye and head movements in the pigmented rat.
abstract: Vestibular, optokinetic, and spontaneous eye and head movements have been examined in the hooded rat. Eye movement range was 18-20 degrees, and frequency of ocular saccades was 5-20/min; there was a weak linkage of eye and head movements and a weak vestibulocollic reflex. Response to optokinetic stimulation with unity gain (eye velocity matches drum velocity) was seen only at velocities below 1 deg/sec; maximal eye velocity evoked by drum velocities of over 20 deg/sec never exceeded 4-6 deg/sec. These motor responses were not altered by head movements: thus, gaze velocity is not improved by optocollic (head movement) responses, and such optocollic activity occurs only when substantial retinal image motion is present.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004585:Electrooculography; D005133:Eye Movements; D006257:Head; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology; D009068:Movement; D009760:Nystagmus, Physiologic; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D051381:Rats; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology; D012399:Rotation; D012438:Saccades