Conditional transitions in gaze dynamics: role of vestibular nuclei in eye-only and eye/head gaze behaviors

Abstract.

 The gaze control system governs distinct gaze behaviors, including visual fixation and gaze reorientations. Transitions between these gaze behaviors are frequent and smooth in healthy individuals. This study models these gaze-behavior transitions for different numbers of gaze degrees of freedom. Eye/head gaze behaviors have twice the number of degrees of freedom as eye-only gaze behaviors. Each gaze behavior is observable in the system dynamics and is correlated with neuronal behaviors in several, coordinated neural centers, including the vestibular nuclei. The coordination among the neural centers establishes a sensorimotor state which maintains each gaze behavior. This study develops a mathematical framework for synthesizing the coordination among neural centers in gaze sensorimotor states and focuses on the role of vestibular nuclei neurons in gaze sensorimotor state transitions.