Superior colliculus neurons provide the saccadic motor error signal.

Abstract

Studies of the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus have suggested that it provides a desired change in eye position signal (delta E) for the generation of saccadic eye movements. Recent evidence, however, has shown that some neurons in these layers may be related to the velocity of saccades. We present single cell recordings from the intermediate layers of monkey superior colliculus that are consistent with the hypothesis that many superior colliculus neurons provide instead a motor error signal, em. Our hypothesis about the function of these cells places them inside the local feedback loop controlling the waveform of the saccade.