Extraocular muscles

During Gaze stabilization extraocular muscles produce reflexive compensatory eye movements to fix the image on the retina. Among such a complex sensorimotor transformation the vestibulo-ocular reflexes (VOR), generating compensatory eye movements in response to head motion, require vestibular inputs which are integrated by extraocular motoneurons.In Xenopus larvae, the onset of the angular VOR (aVOR) is delayed compare to other visuo-vestibular reflexes. This delay could imply the existence of distinct parallel pathways in vestibulo-ocular networks, involving distinct motoneuron functional sub

…Golgi tendon organs) are absent in the extraocular muscles (EOMs) of most mammals, except for even-toed ungulates (e.g. pigs). Instead, most mammals have a structure called palisade endings located at the EOM myotendinous junction. Their localization and similarity with Golgi tendon organs suggest they could be sensory structures providing eye position information. However, palisade endings are cholinergic, and their cell

Human eye movements are controlled by six extraocular muscles. Although the eye socket restricts eye movements to almost pure rotations (3 degrees-of-freedom) the brain seems to control it using only 2 degrees of freedom, keeping the torsional component in a strict relationship with the gaze angles (azimuth and elevation), according to Donders’ Law (Tweed et al.,1987). To study the control principles that may lead to such behaviour, we have designed a scaled-up cable-driven robotic eye with six actuators, with cable insertion points closely matching the relative positions of its biological cou