@article{c2625f55fe594d5bab5e05496dc79596,
title = "New directions for oculomotor research",
abstract = "This paper reviews major trends in the study of the oculomotor system since Westheimer published his doctoral research on this topic 35 years ago. Westheimer introduced the use of linear system analysis for the study of eye movements, an approach used a great deal by others ever since. Westheimer himself abandoned this approach within a decade, in part, because this kind of analysis becomes ambiguous when predictive properties of oculomotor system performance become prominent. We discuss the implications of ignoring the prominence of predictive eye movements and describe recent evidence for their prevelance and power. This leads us to propose that a new approach to the study of oculomotor performance is required. We also discuss the recent trend to apply the {"}connectionist{"} (or {"}neural network{"}) approach in studies of the oculomotor system, and point out that the {"}symbolic{"}, rather than the {"}adaptive{"}, nature of predictive eye movements makes successful extension of these models to oculomotor performance unlikely. Our new approach emphasizes the use of natural stimulation in subjects free from bodily restraints. Accurate measurement of eye, head and torso movements under such conditions has become possible recently and data obtained in this manner has led to the discovery of a number of unexpected characteristics of oculomotor system performance. These developments have encouraged us to abandon the modular view of the oculomotor system, popular since Dodge launched the modern era of oculomotor research in 1903, which postulates five, or more, largely independent {"}subsystems{"}. We suggest that only two subsystems (a fast saccadic and a somewhat slower smooth) are used to fixate and track a central representation of objects located in three-dimensional space. We show that this two-subsystem approach is consistent with current knowledge of oculomotor system neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.",
keywords = "Connectionist, Expectation, Linear systems, Neural network, OKN, Oculomotor subsystem, Saccade, Smooth pursuit, VOR",
author = "Steinman, \{Robert M.\} and Eileen Kowler and Han Collewijn",
note = "Funding Information: importante ffectso f freeingt he heado n sac-making them. We also must developn ew cadesT. heyp robablyh avel ittle,i f anythingt,o models,m ore fitting to the biologicacl ontrol do with oculomotors ystemc apacityo r func-systemu nders tudyt han the modelsp resently tion.T he advantageosf freeingth eh eado n the on hand.T ools areb ecominga vailableth atw ill dynamicso f saccadems ost likely reflectt he makei t possiblet o observea spectso f oculo-operationo f central, rather than low-level motors ystemp erformancaes i t worksn aturally mechanicapl,r ocessesT,h e betterd ynamicso f at the limits of the systemA. t presento, ur saccadems adew itht heh eadf rees eemlsik elyt o knowledgeo f whatt heo culomotosr ystemc an arisef rom allowingt hes ubjectto issuen atural, do and how it doesi t lags far behindo culo-uninhibitedc ommandsto shift gaze.S hifting motors ystemc apacityT.h e toolst o maket hese gazei s a coordinateadc tivityo f both theh ead observationasr ei n handn ow,a nd,i n our view, and the eye and restrainingth e head on a therei s reasonf or optimism,p rovidingo nly biteboardle adst o subnormapl erformanc(es ee that we follow Westheimere{\textquoteright}sx amplea nd are Zingale 61:K owler, 1987 and Berthoz \& preparedto recognizwe heni t becometsim et o Grantyn, 1986,f or other reasonst o propose abandono ur currentn ew approacha nd try an automaticli nkageo f concurrenht eada nd somethingn ew. eye programminga nd Kowler et al., 1990, for a preliminarye xplorationo f “natural vs Acknowledgements-Thea uthors{\textquoteright} research described in unnatural”h ead-eyec oordination). EY-04647( U.S.A.) to RMS, by AFOSR grantn o. 88-0171 this paper was supportedp artly by NIH-NE1 grant no. Theser esultsa, s well as our observationosf to EK (U.S.A.) and by MEDIGGN grant.n o. 900-550492 3-D trackingd escribeda bove,e mphasizeth e (The Ne\textasciitilde{}\textasciitilde{}l\textasciitilde{}ds) to HC. Collaboratorsi n each of our impound of the unity of function of the laboratoriesm ade many very important\textasciitilde{} nt\textasciitilde{}butions to variousp artso f the oculomotoar nd the head-variousa spectso f the work describeda nd to our plans for motors ystemF.i ndingss ucha st hesee ncourage Maryland; P. He and G. L. Zhu in New Brunswick;a nd future work, most notably, A. J. Martins and 2. I\&lo in us to continuew ork alongt hesel ines,a nd to C. E. Erkelensa nd J. Van der Steeni n Rotterdam. claim, admittedlyw ith more enthusiasma nd",
year = "1990",
doi = "10.1016/0042-6989(90)90163-F",
language = "American English",
volume = "30",
pages = "1845--1864",
journal = "Vision Research",
issn = "0042-6989",
publisher = "Elsevier Ltd",
number = "11",
}