Activity of long-lead burst neurons in pontine reticular formation during head-unrestrained gaze shifts

Abstract

Primates explore a visual scene through a succession of saccades. Much of what is known about the neural circuitry that generates these movements has come from neurophysiological studies using subjects with their heads restrained. Horizontal saccades and the horizontal components of oblique saccades are associated with high-frequency bursts of spikes in medium-lead burst neurons (MLBs) and long-lead burst neurons (LLBNs) in the paramedian pontine reticular formation. For LLBNs, the high-frequency burst is preceded by a low-frequency prelude that begins 12–150 ms before saccade onset. In terms of the lead time between the onset of prelude activity and saccade onset, the anatomical projections, and the movement field characteristics, LLBNs are a heterogeneous group of neurons. Whether this heterogeneity is endemic of multiple functional subclasses is an open question. One possibility is that some may carry signals related to head movement. We recorded from LLBNs while monkeys performed head-unrestrained gaze shifts, during which the kinematics of the eye and head components were dissociable. Many cells had peak firing rates that never exceeded 200 spikes/s for gaze shifts of any vector. The activity of these low-frequency cells often persisted beyond the end of the gaze shift and was usually related to head-movement kinematics. A subset was tested during head-unrestrained pursuit and showed clear modulation in the absence of saccades. These “low-frequency” cells were intermingled with MLBs and traditional LLBNs and may represent a separate functional class carrying signals related to head movement.