Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Human Variability of fMRI Brain Activation in Response to Oculomotor Stimuli

  • Original paper
  • Published:
Brain Topography Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Assessing interindividual variability of brain activation is of practical importance to the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the clinical context. The main objective of this study is to analyze the variability of the oculomotor system through horizontal optokinetic, pursuit and saccadic eye movement stimulations by means of fMRI. We found significant activation of many cortical and subcortical structures. The frequency of activation demonstrates a high variability between subjects. However, the most frequent activation regions were located in frontal areas and in regions comprising the middle temporal and medial superior temporal areas. Our study allowed the characterization of the most frequently involved foci in optokinetic stimulation, pursuit and saccadic eye movement tasks. The combination of these tasks constitutes a suitable tool for mapping major areas involved in the oculomotor system.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Anderson TJ, Jenkins IH, Brooks DJ, Hawken MB, Frackowiak RS, Kennard C. Cortical control of saccades and fixation in man. A PET study. Brain 1994;117:1073–84.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Darby DG, Nobre AC, Thangaraj V, Edelman R, Mesulam MM, Warach S. Cortical activation in the human brain during lateral saccades using EPISTAR functional magnetic resonance imaging. Neuroimage 1996;3:53–62.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Di Salle F, Formisano E, Linden DEJ, Goebel R, Bonavita S, Pepino A, Smaltino F, Tedeschi G. Exploring brain function with magnetic resonance imaging. Eur J Radiol 1999;30:84–94.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Dieterich M, Bucher SF, Seelos KC, Brandt T. Horizontal or vertical optokinetic stimulation activates visual motion-sensitive, ocular motor and vestibular cortex areas with right hemispheric dominance. An fMRI study. Brain 1998;121:1479–95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Dieterich M, Bense S, Stephan T, Yousry TA, Brandt T. fMRI signal increases and decreases in cortical areas during small-field optokinetic stimulation and central fixation. Exp Brain Res 2003;148:117–27.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Dukelow SP, DeSouza JF, Culham JC, van den Berg AV, Menon␣RS, Vilis T. Distinguishing subregions of the human MT+ complex using visual fields and pursuit eye movements. J Neurophysiol 2001;86:1991–2000.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Gaymard B, Pierrot-Deseilligny C. Neurology of saccades and smooth pursuit. Curr Opin Neurol 1999;12:13–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Guldin WO, Grüsser OJ. Is there a vestibular cortex?. Trends Neurosci 1998;21:254–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Hanes DP, Patterson WF II, Schall JD. Role of frontal eye fields in countermanding saccades: visual, movement, and fixation activity. J Neurophysiol 1998;79:817–34.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Kimmig H, Greenlee MW, Gondan M, Schira M, Kassubek J, Mergner T. Relationship between saccadic eye movements and cortical activity as measured by fMRI: quantitative and qualitative aspects. Exp Brain Res 2001;141:184–94.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Kleinschmidt A, Thilo KV, Buchel C, Gresty MA, Bronstein AM, Frackowiak RS. Neural correlates of visual-motion perception as object- or self-motion. Neuroimage 2002;16:873–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Konen CS, Kleiser R, Wittsack HJ, Bremmer F, Seitz RJ. The encoding of saccadic eye movements within human posterior parietal cortex. Neuroimage 2004;22(1):304–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Konen CS, Kleiser R, Seitz RJ, Bremmer F. An fMRI study of optokinetic nystagmus and smooth-pursuit eye movements in humans. Exp Brain Res 2005;165:203–16.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Krauzlis RJ. Recasting the smooth pursuit eye movement system. J Neurophysiol 2004;91:591–603.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Lagae L, Raiguel S, Orban GA. Speed and direction selectivity of macaque middle temporal neurons. J Neurophysiol 1993;69: 19–39.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Lencer R, Nagel M, Sprenger A, Zapf S, Erdmann C, Heide W, Binkofski F. Cortical mechanisms of smooth pursuit eye movements with target blanking. An fMRI study. Eur J Neurosci 2004;19:1430–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Matsuda T, Matsuura M, Ohkubo T, Ohkubo H, Matsushima E, Inoue K, Taira M, Kojima T. Functional MRI mapping of brain activation during visually guided saccades and antisaccades: cortical and subcortical networks. Psychiatry Res 2004;131(2): 147–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Muri RM, Heid O, Nirkko AC, Ozdoba C, Felblinger J, Schroth G, Hess CW. Functional organization of saccades and antisaccades in the frontal lobe in humans: a study with echo planar functional magnetic resonance imaging. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1998;65:374–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Nagel M, Sprenger A, Zapf S, Erdmann C, Kömpf D, Heide W, Binkofski F, Lencer R. Parametric modulation of cortical activation during smooth pursuit with and without target blanking. An fMRI study. Neuroimage 2005;29(4):1319–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. O’Driscoll GA, Strakowski SM, Alpert NM, Matthysse SW, Rauch␣SL, Levy DL, Holzman PS. Differences in cerebral activation during smooth pursuit and saccadic eye movements using positron- emission tomography. Biol Psychiatry 1998;44(8):685–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Petit L, Haxby JV. Functional anatomy of pursuit eye movements in humans as revealed by fMRI. J Neurophysiol 1999; 82:463–71.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Pierrot-Deseilligny C, Muri RM, Ploner CJ, Gaymard B, Demeret S, Rivaud-Pechoux S. Decisional role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in ocular motor behavior. Brain 2003; 126:1460–73.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Pierrot-Deseilligny C, Milea D, Muri RM. Eye movement control by the cerebral cortex. Curr Opin Neurol 2004;17:17–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Rademacher J, Burgel U, Geyer S, Schormann T, Schleicher A, Freund HJ, Zilles K. Variability and asymmetry in the human precentral motor system. A cytoarchitectonic and myeloarchitectonic brain mapping study. Brain 2001;124:2232–58.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Rosano C, Krisky CM, Welling JS, Eddy WF, Luna B, Thulborn KR, Sweeney JA. Pursuit and saccadic eye movement subregions in human frontal eye field: a high-resolution fMRI investigation. Cereb Cortex 2002;12:107–15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Santos-Pontelli TE, Pontes-Neto OM, Colafemina JF, de Araujo DB, Santos AC, Leite JP. Contraversive pushing in non-stroke patients. J␣Neurol 2004;251(11):1324–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Tanabe JL, Tregellas JR, Miller DE, Ross RG, Freedman R. Brain activation during smooth-pursuit eye movements. Neuroimage 2002;17:1315–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to L. Rocha and J. L. Aziani for technical support. Also we wish to thank CAPES, CNPq and FAPESP for partial financial support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament of Physics and Math, FFCLRP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil

    Hellen M. Della-Justina, Bruno F. Pastorello, Oswaldo Baffa & Draulio B. de Araujo

  2. Departament of Internal Medicine, FMRP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil

    Antonio Carlos Santos & Jose F. Colafemina

  3. Departament of Neurology, FMRP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil

    Taiza E. G. Santos-Pontelli, Octavio M. Pontes-Neto, Joao P. Leite & Draulio B. de Araujo

Authors
  1. Hellen M. Della-Justina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bruno F. Pastorello
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Taiza E. G. Santos-Pontelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Octavio M. Pontes-Neto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Antonio Carlos Santos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Oswaldo Baffa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Jose F. Colafemina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Joao P. Leite
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Draulio B. de Araujo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Draulio B. de Araujo.

Additional information

This work was done at the University of Sao Paulo, Campus Ribeirao Preto, Brazil.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Della-Justina, H.M., Pastorello, B.F., Santos-Pontelli, T.E.G. et al. Human Variability of fMRI Brain Activation in Response to Oculomotor Stimuli. Brain Topogr 20, 113–121 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-007-0037-y

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-007-0037-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation