title: Quantitative analysis of spontaneous saccade-like rapid eye movements in C57BL/6 mice.
abstract: Saccadic eye movement is a rapid shift of eye position to capture an object in the environment. In this study, we will describe the fundamental properties of spontaneously evoked saccade-like rapid eye movement (SLREM) in mice in order to establish the mouse experimental model for studying saccades. Spontaneous SLREM were recorded and analyzed in C57BL/6 mice in a quantitative manner, using high-speed video-oculography at a high temporal resolution (240 frames/s) under head-fixed conditions. Mice made spontaneous SLREMs in the dark with median amplitude of 14.3+/-2.1 degrees, mainly in the horizontal direction. The peak velocity of SLREM increased almost linearly against its amplitude with slope of 43.6+/-6.1 (degrees/s)/degrees in the upward, 63.3+/-18.0 (degrees/s)/degrees in the downward, 51.3+/-3.9 (degrees/s)/degrees in the nasal, and 31.7+/-3.2 (degrees/s)/degrees in the temporal direction. The duration of SLREM was 56.6+/-23.3 ms in the upward, 57.3+/-18.0 ms in the downward, 52.0+/-5.0 ms in the nasal, and 69.3+/-5.5 ms in the temporal direction. This study provides the basis for analyzing the neural and molecular mechanisms engaged in the control of saccadic eye movements in genetically-engineered mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan. sakatani-ns@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakatani
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Isa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004585:Electrooculography / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009799:Ocular Physiological Phenomena; D012438:Saccades / Q000502:physiology*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology*