Topography of visuomotor parameters in the frontal and premotor eye fields

Abstract

To determine whether the periarcuate frontal cortex spatially encodes visual and oculomotor parameters, we trained monkeys to repeatedly execute saccades of the same amplitude and direction toward visual targets and we obtained quantitative images of the distribution of metabolic activity in 2D flattened reconstructions of the arcuate sulcus (As) and prearcuate convexity. We found two topographic maps of contraversive saccades to visual targets, separated by a region representing the vertical meridian: the first region straddled the fundus of the As and occupied areas 44 and 6-ventral, whereas the second one occupied areas 8A and 45 in the anterior bank of the As and the prearcuate convexity. The representation of the vertical meridian runs along the posterior borders of areas 8A and 45 (deep in the As). In both maps, the upper part of visuo-oculo motor space is represented ventrally and laterally and the lower part dorsally and medially whereas dorsal and ventral regions are separated by the representation of the horizontal meridian.