Target Selection for Pursuit and Saccades

Abstract

Animals with foveal vision use a combination of pursuit and saccadic eye movements when exploring their visual surroundings. The two types of movements must be tightly coordinated to effectively improve the ability to see. This article reviews findings from behavioral and electrophysiological studies that clarify the neural mechanisms that accomplish this coordination. Current evidence points to shared mechanisms for gating the two movements and for selecting a common target stimulus. Although cortical circuits are involved, brainstem regions such as the superior colliculus play a prominent role in target selection for both pursuit and saccades.