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Neuromuscular consequences of reflexive covert orienting

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Abstract

Visual stimulus presentation activates the oculomotor network without requiring a gaze shift. Here, we demonstrate that primate neck muscles are recruited during such reflexive covert orienting in a manner that parallels activity recorded from the superior colliculus (SC). Our results indicate the presence of a brainstem circuit whereby reflexive covert orienting is prevented from shifting gaze, but recruits neck muscles, predicting that similarities between SC and neck muscle activity should extend to other cognitive processes that are known to influence SC activity.

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Figure 1: Neck EMG recorded during the cueing task, with the head restrained.
Figure 2: Neck EMG recorded during the cueing task, with the head unrestrained.

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Acknowledgements

We thank S. Everling, R. Flanagan, M. Goodale, R. Klein, S. Lomber, S. Musallam, S. Scott and the members of the Corneil and Munoz labs for comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. This work was supported by grants from the CIHR and the Human Frontier Science Program to B.D.C. and D.P.M. B.D.C. holds a CIHR New Investigator Award. D.P.M. holds a Canada Research Chair.

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Author notes

  1. Brian D Corneil and Douglas P Munoz: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Physiology & Pharmacology, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Group on Action and Perception, and Psychology, London, N6A 5C1, Ontario, Canada

    Brian D Corneil & Tania Admans

  2. Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, N6A 5C1, Ontario, Canada

    Brian D Corneil & Brendan B Chapman

  3. Departments of Physiology, CIHR Group in Sensory-Motor Systems, Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Psychology and Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, K7L 3N6, Ontario, Canada

    Douglas P Munoz

  4. Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, 190 Elizabeth Street, Room 3S438, Fraser Elliot Building, Toronto, M5G 2N2, Ontario, Canada

    Sharon L Cushing

Authors
  1. Brian D Corneil
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  2. Douglas P Munoz
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  3. Brendan B Chapman
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  4. Tania Admans
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  5. Sharon L Cushing
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Contributions

B.D.C. and D.P.M. designed the experiments and co-wrote the paper. B.D.C., B.B.C. and T.A. collected and analyzed the experimental data. B.D.C., T.A. and S.L.C. implanted the neck muscle electrodes. B.B.C., T.A. and S.L.C. provided editorial comments throughout the writing process.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brian D Corneil.

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Supplementary Figures 1–8 and Methods (PDF 4253 kb)

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Corneil, B., Munoz, D., Chapman, B. et al. Neuromuscular consequences of reflexive covert orienting. Nat Neurosci 11, 13–15 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn2023

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn2023

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