Oculomotor Reactions in the Cuttlefish, Sepia Officinalis

Abstract

1. Eye position in Sepia was measured in restrained animals, using a scleral search coil technique. 2. Optokinetic nystagmus was elicited by drum rotations from 0.035 up to 35°/sec. 3. Passive rotation of Sepia in darkness evoked a transient nystagmus, followed by after-nystagmus at arrest. 4. Combination of these two stimuli yielded the best results, but the ratio eye velocity/surroundings velocity was usually not better than 0.5. 5. Eye movements were conjugate and a closed eye could be driven by a seeing eye. Monocular reactions were smaller than binocular ones, but equal in both directions. 6. Fixation movements could not be demonstrated in the present conditions.