Neural substrate for suppression of omnipause neurons at the onset of saccades

Abstract

The saccade trigger signal was proposed by D.A. Robinson, but neural substrates for triggering saccades by inhibiting omnipause neuron (OPN) activity still remain controversial. We investigated tectal inputs to OPNs by recording intracellular potentials from OPNs and inhibitory burst neurons (IBNs) and searched for interneurons to inhibit OPNs in the brainstem of anesthetized cats. IBNs received monosynaptic excitation from the contralateral caudal superior colliculus (SC) and disynaptic inhibition via contralateral IBNs from the ipsilateral caudal SC, whereas IBNs received disynaptic inhibition from the rostral SC. The latter disynaptic inhibition was mediated by OPNs, since OPNs received monosynaptic excitation from the rostral SC and projected to IBNs. In contrast, OPNs received disynaptic inhibition from the caudal SC. This disynaptic inhibition from the caudal SC was mediated to OPNs by IBNs. These findings suggested possible roles of IBNs for triggering and maintaining saccades by actively inhibiting the tonic activity of OPNs.