Role for subthalamic nucleus neurons in switching from automatic to controlled eye movement.

Full Abstract

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) of the basal ganglia is an important element of motor control. This is demonstrated by involuntary movements induced by STN lesions and the successful treatment of Parkinson's disease by STN stimulation. However, it is still unclear how individual STN neurons participate in motor control. Here, we report that the STN has a function in switching from automatic to volitionally controlled eye movement. In the STN of trained macaque monkeys, we found neurons that showed a phasic change in activity specifically before volitionally controlled saccades which were switched from automatic saccades. A majority of switch-related neurons were considered to inhibit no-longer-valid automatic processes, and the inhibition started early enough to enable the animal to switch. We suggest that the STN mediates the control signal originated from the medial frontal cortex and implements the behavioral switching function using its connections with other basal ganglia nuclei and the superior colliculus.

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Author information

Author/s: Isoda, Masaki (M); Hikosaka, Okihide (O);

Affiliation: Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. isodam(-atsign-)brain.riken.jp

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

Journal: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (J Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jul; vol 28 (issue 28) : pp 7209-18

Dates: Created 2008/07/10; Completed 2008/08/12;

PMID: 18614691, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Action Potentials - physiology
Analysis of Variance
Animals
Attention - physiology
Behavior, Animal
Decision Making - physiology
Eye Movements - physiology

Eye Movements - physiology
Functional Laterality
Macaca mulatta
Neurons - physiology
Photic Stimulation - methods
Subthalamic Nucleus - cytology; injuries
Task Performance and Analysis

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