title: Blink effect on slow vergence.
abstract: Blinks are known to change the kinematic properties of fast eye movements, probably by changes in the brain stem circuits. To determine whether slow disconjugate (slow vergence) eye movements are affected by blinks under natural viewing conditions, we elicited airpuff-evoked trigeminal blinks randomly during ongoing steady slow vergence eye movements. Lid and binocular eye movements were recorded by the scleral search coil method. Slow vergence eye movements showed a peak of vergence velocity during the final part of the blink, which depends on the stimulus direction. We propose that the direction-specific blink effect on slow vergence may be caused by changes in brain stem premotor circuits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Luebeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23538 Luebeck, Germany. rambold_h@neuro.mu-luebeck.de
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rambold
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sprenger
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Helmchen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001767:Blinking; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011698:Pursuit, Smooth / Q000502:physiology; D012438:Saccades / Q000502:physiology*