<p>I agree with much of AliceD's well-cited answer, but here are a few extras.</p>

<blockquote>
  <ol>
  <li>What part of the brain is actively controlling saccadic movement?</li>
  </ol>
</blockquote>

<p>It is not clear how you would choose just one area of the brain, given that a whole network of cortical and sub-cortical areas are involved, and what you mean by "actively controlling". The superior colliculus is certainly a good candidate, but signals pass through the reticular formation of the brainstem to the eye muscles. In the cortex, the superior colliculus receives projections from the frontal eye fields and the parietal cortex, thought to involve guided attention. Munoz (2002, <a href="http://www.ece.uvic.ca/~bctill/papers/mocap/Munoz_2002.pdf">pdf</a>) is a short review of this network.</p>

<blockquote>
  <ol start="2">
  <li>If this part were to be removed, does saccadic movement cease to exist and cause the person to go blind from not being able to look
  around?</li>
  <li>Additionally, is there a disorder which eliminates saccadic movement in some way?</li>
  </ol>
</blockquote>

<p>It follows from the above that there are many lesions which would affect/remove saccades. As noted by AliceD, this does not mean the person will go blind. <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v390/n6656/abs/390130a0.html">One interesting case</a> reported a patient with eye paralyis (due to fibrosis of the ocular muscles) who made "head saccades" in order to scan the world in a similar way.</p>

<p>Gilchrist, I. D., Brown, V., &amp; Findlay, J. M. (1997). Saccades without eye movements. Nature, 390(6656), 130-131.</p>

<p>Munoz, D. P. (2002). Commentary: saccadic eye movements: overview of neural circuitry. Progress in brain research, 140, 89-96.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-13T13:37:25.817Z
2015-10-13T13:37:25.817Z
splint
<ol>
<li>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_colliculus" rel="noreferrer">superior colliculus</a> can be regarded as the center of saccadic eye movement. It contains a topographically organized representation of the visual space in its upper layers, and saccade-related activity in its deeper layers <a href="http://www.mbfys.ru.nl/staff/j.vangisbergen/endnote/endnotepdfs/artikelen_groep/van%20Gisbergen%201987.pdf" rel="noreferrer">(Van Gisbergen <em>et al</em>., 1987)</a>.</li>
<li>Ablation of the superior colliculus unilaterally eliminates saccades contralateral to the lesion, and hence bilateral ablation will likely eliminate all saccades <a href="http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&amp;pmid=3585453" rel="noreferrer">(Schiller <em>et al</em>., 1987)</a>. However, the superior colliculi <strong>do not mediate conscious vision</strong>, but mediate <strong>eye movements</strong>. Blindness results after ablation of the primary visual cortex, and obviously after removal of the retinae, or the optic nerves. Also note that "<em>not being able to look around</em>" is not dependent only on saccadic eye movement, because head-scanning is still possible. </li>
<li>A number of conditions may affect saccades. For example, <strong>stroke</strong> in the brain stem affecting the superior colliculi or cranial nerves may slow saccades and <strong>lesions</strong> in the brain stem may abolish them completely <a href="http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/brain/130/1/10.full.pdf" rel="noreferrer">(Ramat <em>et al</em>., 2007)</a>. </li>
</ol>

<p><sub><strong>References</strong><br>
<strong>-</strong> <a href="http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/brain/130/1/10.full.pdf" rel="noreferrer">Ramat <em>et al</em>., <em>Brain</em> (2007; <strong>130</strong>: 10–35</a><br>
<strong>-</strong> <a href="http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&amp;pmid=3585453" rel="noreferrer">Schiller <em>et al</em>., <em>J Neurophysiol</em> (1987); <strong>57</strong>(4): 1033-49</a><br>
<strong>-</strong> <a href="http://www.mbfys.ru.nl/staff/j.vangisbergen/endnote/endnotepdfs/artikelen_groep/van%20Gisbergen%201987.pdf" rel="noreferrer">Van Gisbergen <em>et al</em>., <em>Neurosci</em> (1987),  <strong>21</strong>(2): 541-55</a></sub></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-14T22:07:04.760Z
[New study](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v526/n7573/full/nature15693.html) published today in *Nature* about how population-level activity in cerebellar Purkinje cells predicts saccadic eye movements!
mrt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-06T13:43:30.867Z
2015-10-06T14:17:11.517Z
2015-10-06T14:17:11.517Z
AliceD
<p>I haven't been able to find any decent articles on this specific topic. So I have three (hopefully quick) questions:</p>

<ol>
<li>What part of the brain is actively controlling saccadic movement?</li>
<li>If this part were to be removed, does saccadic movement cease to exist and cause the person to go blind from not being able to look around?</li>
<li>Additionally, is there a disorder which eliminates saccadic movement in some way?</li>
</ol>

<neuroscience><vision><eye-movement>
How is saccadic movement managed in the brain?
Adam
# How is saccadic movement managed in the brain?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-10-05)

I haven't been able to find any decent articles on this specific topic. So I have three (hopefully quick) questions:

1. What part of the brain is actively controlling saccadic movement?
2. If this part were to be removed, does saccadic movement cease to exist and cause the person to go blind from not being able to look around?
3. Additionally, is there a disorder which eliminates saccadic movement in some way?

**Tags:** neuroscience, vision, eye-movement


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-10-06. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

1. The [superior colliculus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_colliculus) can be regarded as the center of saccadic eye movement. It contains a topographically organized representation of the visual space in its upper layers, and saccade-related activity in its deeper layers [(Van Gisbergen *et al*., 1987)](http://www.mbfys.ru.nl/staff/j.vangisbergen/endnote/endnotepdfs/artikelen_groep/van%20Gisbergen%201987.pdf).
2. Ablation of the superior colliculus unilaterally eliminates saccades contralateral to the lesion, and hence bilateral ablation will likely eliminate all saccades [(Schiller *et al*., 1987)](http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=3585453). However, the superior colliculi **do not mediate conscious vision**, but mediate **eye movements**. Blindness results after ablation of the primary visual cortex, and obviously after removal of the retinae, or the optic nerves. Also note that "*not being able to look around*" is not dependent only on saccadic eye movement, because head-scanning is still possible.
3. A number of conditions may affect saccades. For example, **stroke** in the brain stem affecting the superior colliculi or cranial nerves may slow saccades and **lesions** in the brain stem may abolish them completely [(Ramat *et al*., 2007)](http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/brain/130/1/10.full.pdf).

**References**  
**-** [Ramat *et al*., *Brain* (2007; **130**: 10–35](http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/brain/130/1/10.full.pdf)  
**-** [Schiller *et al*., *J Neurophysiol* (1987); **57**(4): 1033-49](http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=3585453)  
**-** [Van Gisbergen *et al*., *Neurosci* (1987), **21**(2): 541-55](http://www.mbfys.ru.nl/staff/j.vangisbergen/endnote/endnotepdfs/artikelen_groep/van%20Gisbergen%201987.pdf)

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: [New study](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v526/n7573/full/nature15693.html) published today in *Nature* about how population-level activity in cerebellar Purkinje cells predicts saccadic eye movements!  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2015-10-13. Score: 5

I agree with much of username_2's well-cited answer, but here are a few extras.

> 1. What part of the brain is actively controlling saccadic movement?

It is not clear how you would choose just one area of the brain, given that a whole network of cortical and sub-cortical areas are involved, and what you mean by "actively controlling". The superior colliculus is certainly a good candidate, but signals pass through the reticular formation of the brainstem to the eye muscles. In the cortex, the superior colliculus receives projections from the frontal eye fields and the parietal cortex, thought to involve guided attention. Munoz (2002, [pdf](http://www.ece.uvic.ca/~bctill/papers/mocap/Munoz_2002.pdf)) is a short review of this network.

> 2. If this part were to be removed, does saccadic movement cease to exist and cause the person to go blind from not being able to look
>    around?
> 3. Additionally, is there a disorder which eliminates saccadic movement in some way?

It follows from the above that there are many lesions which would affect/remove saccades. As noted by username_2, this does not mean the person will go blind. [One interesting case](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v390/n6656/abs/390130a0.html) reported a patient with eye paralyis (due to fibrosis of the ocular muscles) who made "head saccades" in order to scan the world in a similar way.

Gilchrist, I. D., Brown, V., & Findlay, J. M. (1997). Saccades without eye movements. Nature, 390(6656), 130-131.

Munoz, D. P. (2002). Commentary: saccadic eye movements: overview of neural circuitry. Progress in brain research, 140, 89-96.


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