Dysfunctional mode switching between fixation and saccades: collaborative insights into two unusual clinical disorders

Voluntary rapid eye movements (saccades) redirect the fovea toward objects of visual interest. The saccadic system can be considered as a dual-mode system: in one mode the eye is fixating, in the other it is making a saccade. In this review, we consider two examples of dysfunctional saccades, interr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of computational neuroscience 2021-08, Vol.49 (3), p.283-293
Main Authors: Rucker, Janet C., Rizzo, John-Ross, Hudson, Todd E., Horn, Anja K. E., Buettner-Ennever, Jean A., Leigh, R. John, Optican, Lance M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Collaboration
Concussion
Eye
Fixation
Fovea
Human Genetics
Hypotheses
Mathematical models
Neurological diseases
Neurology
Neurosciences
Original Article
Retina
Saccadic eye movements
Tay-Sachs disease
Theory of Computation
Topical Collection on Vision and Action
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Summary:Voluntary rapid eye movements (saccades) redirect the fovea toward objects of visual interest. The saccadic system can be considered as a dual-mode system: in one mode the eye is fixating, in the other it is making a saccade. In this review, we consider two examples of dysfunctional saccades, interrupted saccades in late-onset Tay-Sachs disease and gaze-position dependent opsoclonus after concussion, which fail to properly shift between fixation and saccade modes. Insights and benefits gained from bi-directional collaborative exchange between clinical and basic scientists are emphasized. In the case of interrupted saccades, existing mathematical models were sufficiently detailed to provide support for the cause of interrupted saccades. In the case of gaze-position dependent opsoclonus, existing models could not explain the behavior, but further development provided a reasonable hypothesis for the mechanism underlying the behavior. Collaboration between clinical and basic science is a rich source of progress for developing biologically plausible models and understanding neurological disease. Approaching a clinical problem with a specific hypothesis (model) in mind often prompts new experimental tests and provides insights into basic mechanisms.
ISSN:0929-5313
1573-6873
DOI:10.1007/s10827-021-00785-6