Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Collewijn

Publications and source records attributed to H Collewijn.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Vision in the presence of known natural retinal image motion.

Previously we reported that failures of compensatory eye movements led to appreciable binocular retinal image motion during head rotation. Subjectively, the visual world appeared clear, fused, and stable under these conditions. The present experiments examined these impressions psychophysically. The spatial modulation transfer function of subjects with known retinal image motion was measured during head rotation. We found that contrast sensitivity was reduced for gratings over 6 cycles/degree and was increased for lower spatial frequencies. Our results, when compared with Kelly's [J. Opt. Soc. Am. 69, 1340-1349 (1979)] measurements made with artificially moving stabilized gratings, show that natural retinal image motion is less harmful to contrast sensitivity at high spatial frequencies and more beneficial at low spatial frequencies. Furthermore, we had previously found that natural retinal image motion was different in each eye during head movement but no diplopia was noticed. We confirmed this subjective impression by measuring forced-choice stereoacuity thresholds concurrent with binocular head and eye recordings. Stereoacuity was not disturbed by large fixation disparities or high vergence velocities. Recordings also were made while a fused Julesz stereogram was viewed during attempts to break fusion with violent head movements. Fusion could not be broken. Stereograms turned on during violent head movement fused rapidly. We conclude that vision is better with natural retinal image motion than expected from experiments done with stabilized heads.

Head↗
PubMed1985

Eye movements in relation to loss and regaining of fusion of disjunctively moving random-dot stereograms.

Horizontal eye movements of four subjects were recorded with a scleral induction-coil technique during dichoptic viewing of a random-dot stereogram. The stereogram contained two depth planes. The two half-images of the stereogram were slowly moved in opposite lateral directions beyond the limit of divergence; subsequently the movements of both images were reversed. Ocular vergence followed image vergence of the foveally viewed part of the stereogram during fusion. Binocular disparity increased beyond a certain angle of divergence. Before loss and after regain of fusion the same relation was found between binocular disparity and angle of divergence. The size of binocular disparity that did evoke vergence responses was limited to about 4 deg arc; this range was larger than the maximum amount of binocular disparity (1 to 2 deg arc) that could be fused. Shifts in fixation from the one depth plane to the other one were executed by rapid vergence movements. These vergence movements were slower than saccades but still exceeded the maximal velocities generally assumed for vergence.

Convergence, Ocular↗
PubMed1984

Effects of neonatal and late unilateral enucleation on optokinetic responses and optic nerve projections in the rabbit.

Rabbits were unilaterally enucleated at the age of 0 or 21 days or at adult age. After survival times of 6-21 months optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) was measured and retinofugal connections were traced with anterograde transport of horseradish peroxidase or 3H leucine, injected into the eye. Non-enucleated animals served as controls. The asymmetry of monocular OKN in normal rabbits, characterized by a strong preference for pursuit of motion in the nasal (anterior) direction, was only slightly alleviated after enucleation. Responses to stimulation in the nasal direction were unchanged; responses to stimulation in the temporal direction showed modest improvements especially after enucleation at adult age and to a smaller degree after enucleation at 0 or 21 days. Redistribution of retinofugal fibers from the eye remaining after enucleation was very limited. Contralateral connections, including those to the lateral geniculate nucleus, showed a normal distribution. Of the ipsilateral connections, those to the lateral geniculate nucleus were normal in extent and density, while those to the superior colliculus were enhanced, in agreement with previous workers (Chow et al. 1973, 1981). Changes in ipsilateral pretectal projections were extremely small; particularly no connections to the nucleus of the optic tract were developed in any of the normal or enucleated animals. Of the accessory optic nuclei, the medial terminal nucleus received a very small ipsilateral projection in normal rabbits, which was markedly enhanced after enucleation especially at 0 and 21 days, but even at adult age. It is concluded that functional and anatomical plasticity of OKN circuits in the rabbit is very limited from the time of birth.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1984

Ocular stability in the horizontal, frontal and sagittal planes in the rabbit.

Eye and head movements in the horizontal, frontal and sagittal planes were recorded in the rabbit with a newly developed technique using dual scleral search coils in a rotating magnetic field. The compensatory eye movements elicited by passive sinusoidal oscillation deteriorated for frequencies below 0.1 Hz in the horizontal, but not in the frontal and sagittal planes. In the light gain was relatively independent of frequency in all planes and amounted to 0.82-0.69, 0.92-0.83 and 0.65-0.59 in the horizontal, frontal and sagittal plane, respectively. In freely moving animals, similar input-output relations were found. The stability of the retinal image thus proved to be inversely proportional to the amount of head movements associated with behavioural activity. Maximal retinal image velocities varied between 2-4 degree/s for a rabbit sitting quietly and 30-40 degrees/s during locomotor activity. Gaze displacements showed different characteristics in the various planes, possibly in relation with the structure of the retinal visual streak. Horizontal gaze changes were mainly effected by saccades. Gaze changes in the frontal plane were relatively rare and effected by non-saccadic, combined head and eye movements with temporary suppression of compensatory eye movements. Eye rotations in the sagittal plane, possibly functioning to adjust the direction of binocular vision vertically, were abundant and effected by large head movements in combination with a low gain of compensatory eye movements in this plane.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1984

Voluntary selection of the target for smooth eye movement in the presence of superimposed, full-field stationary and moving stimuli.

Prior work has shown that smooth eye movements in the presence of both stationary and moving stimuli are determined, at least in part, by the voluntary selection of either the stationary or the moving stimulus as the target for smooth eye movements. The effectiveness of voluntary selection in eliminating the influence of the stimuli not selected (i.e. backgrounds) on smooth eye movement is not known because prior studies used targets and backgrounds with different physical characteristics. Thus, effects of voluntary selection were confounded with the relative strength of target and background as stimuli for smooth eye movements. We measured eye movements (resolution 1') of two highly-experienced eye movement subjects with a target and background with the same physical characteristics: two, identical, full-field, superimposed patterns of randomly-positioned dots (1 dot/deg2 or 8 dots/deg2). One field was stationary and the other moved at 70.2 minarc/sec. The effect of the moving background on smooth eye movements when the stationary field was the target, and the effect of the stationary background on smooth eye movements when the moving field was the target was negligible (0-4% for one subject; 0-2% for the other). The influence of the background on smooth eye movements was affected by a six-fold reduction in the intensity of either the target or background, but effects of such intensity changes were small and different for each subject. Taken together, these results show that the effectiveness of voluntary selection in eliminating the influence of background stimuli on smooth eye movements can be virtually complete. Any observed influence of the background--however small--can be attributed to voluntary factors (e.g. subjects' failure to apply sufficient effort or attention) rather than to the operation of an involuntary mechanism that automatically integrates velocity information from target and background. The attention and effort required to ensure that voluntary selection is perfect may impair the accuracy of psychophysical judgments made about the background.

Attention↗
PubMed1984

Human smooth and saccadic eye movements during voluntary pursuit of different target motions on different backgrounds.

Horizontal and vertical eye movements of ten human subjects were recorded with a scleral induction-coil technique during voluntary pursuit of sinusoidal, triangular and pseudo-random target motions of different frequency, amplitude and dimensionality upon a dark, diffuse or structured background. Data processing included separation of the composite eye movement into a cumulative smooth and saccadic displacement, computation of gain and phase of the composite and smooth eye movements with respect to the target movement and analysis of retinal position error. Pursuit eye movements were never completely smooth. Smooth pursuit gain was always lower than 0.95 and saccades were used to supplement the smooth eye movements in pursuing the target with the proper amplitude. The gain of composite eye movements was about unity for sinusoidal target motions and ramps; it exceeded unity for the highest frequency components in a pseudo-random motion. The gain of the smooth eye movements decreased monotonously whenever target velocity increased. It was higher for single sine waves than for a pseudo-random motion, however, with pseudo-random motion it was relatively higher for the higher frequency components. Phase lags were in general smaller for single sine waves than for pseudo-random motion, but for the latter a phase lead of the smooth component was consistently found for the lower frequency components. During pursuit of a rhomboid trajectory, the eye movements showed directional errors which are interpreted as anticipatory behaviour. The distribution of the retinal error was symmetrical around zero. Its standard deviation varied between about 0.2 and 1.3 degrees; it was about proportional to target velocity and inversely proportional to smooth pursuit gain. It was limited by the insertion of saccades which were in general corrective. The influence of a diffusely illuminated background was minimal. A structured background inhibited smooth pursuit in the horizontal direction by about 10% and in the vertical direction by about 20%. This deficit of smooth pursuit was fully compensated by the insertion of more saccades and had no consequences for the standard deviation of the retinal error. The type of structure of the background was only of marginal importance. Horizontal pursuit was in general slightly smoother and more precise than vertical pursuit.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

A comparison of oculomotor pursuit of a target in circular real, beta or sigma motion.

Pursuit of a point target in real or apparent motion upon a dark, diffusely lighted or structured background was recorded with a scleral coil technique. Smooth and saccadic components were separated and analyzed with computer techniques. Sigma-pursuit was superior to pursuit of beta- or real motion: smooth pursuit gain was higher, saccadic rate was lower and the detrimental effect of a structured background was smaller. Due to directional errors, smooth pursuit velocity often exceeded target velocity when this was smaller than about 10 degrees/sec. However, the smooth component in the correct direction of the target motion had a gain less than or equal to 1.0 and decreasing at higher target velocities for all pursuit modes, inclusive sigma-pursuit.

Eye Movements↗
PubMed1983

Compensatory eye movements during active and passive head movements: fast adaptation to changes in visual magnification.

Rotational eye and head movements were recorded with great precision with scleral and cranial search coils in a rotating magnetic field. Compensatory eye movements were recorded in light and darkness during active as well as passive head movements in the frequency range 0.33-1.33 Hz. From the recorded, nominal gaze movements the effective gaze was reconstructed taking into account magnification or reduction factors of corrective spectacles. Effective gain was calculated as the ratio between the velocities of the effective corrective eye movements and the head movements. In the light, effective gain of compensatory eye movements during active head motion was mostly between 0.97 and 1.03. It was never precisely unity and differed systematically between subjects and between the two eyes of each subject. During passive head motion in the light, gain was lower by about 3% than during active motion. During active head movement in the dark, gain was mostly between 0.92 and 1.00; values were about 5% lower than during active motion in the light. During passive head movement in the dark, gain was about 13% lower than during active motion, and the variability of the oculomotor response increased. Adaptation of these base-line conditions was induced by fitting the subjects with magnifying or reducing spectacles for periods of 40 min to 24 h. The largest required change in amplitude of eye movements was 36%. When active head movements were made, the amplitude of compensatory eye movements in the light as well as in the dark adjusted rapidly. Most of the adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex in the dark was completed in about 30 min. This rate is much faster than that found in previous experiments requiring larger adaptive changes. Differential adaptation to unequal demands for the two eyes proved to be very hard or impossible. In a mild conflict situation the system adjusted to an intermediate level, distributing the error symmetrically between the eyes. When the discrepancy was large, the adaptive process of both eyes was controlled by the one eye which provided the most meaningful information. It is concluded that the system generating compensatory eye movements performs best during active rather than passive head movements, and that adaptation to moderate changes in optimal gain are made very rapidly.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMed1982

The efferent connections of the nucleus of the optic tract and the superior colliculus in the rabbit.

3H-leucine injections were made in tectal and pretectal areas in the rabbit. After injections in the nucleus of the optic tract (NOT) labeled fibers were distributed bilaterally to the superior colliculus, the dorsal part of the medial geniculate nucleus (MGd), and the pulvinar nucleus, and ipsilaterally to the external layer of the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (LGv), the dorsal geniculate nucleus (LGd) pars beta, the reticular thalamic nucleus, and the lateral and medial terminal nucleus (LTN, MTN). Many labeled fibers were distributed to the lateral and some to the medial parts of the pontine nuclei. more caudally, coarse labeled fiber bundles descended ipsilaterally, distributing fibers to the prepositus hypoglossi and abducens nucleus and to the caudally adjoining medial reticular formation. Many labeled fibers were also present in the inferior olive, especially ipsilaterally in the dorsal cap and the ventrally adjoining pars beta, and a few in the contralateral dorsal cap area. Contralaterally, some descending fibers terminated in the dorsal part of the facial nucleus, in which motoneurons are located innervating the orbicularis oculi muscle. The superficial layers of superior colliculus distributed fibers bilaterally to the internal layer in the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (LGv), the LGd alpha (lateral part), the MGd, the pulvinar, and more caudally to the ipsilateral parabigeminal and lateral pontine nuclei. The deep collicular layers distributed fibers ipsilaterally to MG (internal division), pulvinar, and the internal layer of LGv. Furthermore, ascending connections were found to the suprageniculate nucleus, the zona incerta, the mediodorsal nucleus, and some intralaminar and midline nuclei. Descending fibers terminated in the mesencephalic lateral tegmentum, pontine nuclei, and ventrally in the pontine and high medullary reticular formation. Contralaterally fibers were distributed to the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis (NRTP), the medial reticular formation, and the inferior olive just lateral to the nucleus beta. In one case fibers were also distributed to the lateral part of the contralateral facial nucleus in which motoneurons are located innervating the upper lip muscles.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Inversion of direction-selectivity to anterior fields in neurons of nucleus of the optic tract in rabbits with ocular albinism.

Extracellular recordings were made of 46 well-isolated single units in the nucleus of the optic tract (NOT) from 27 rabbits which were paralyzed but unanesthetized. Rabbits were selected from 3 varieties with ocular albinism. These units showed short latencies (mean = 2.2 msec, S.D. = 0.4) to chiasmic stimulation suggestive of monosynaptic innervation from retinal ganglion cells. Receptive fields were large and receptive field centers were confined to the projection of the visual streak. All units showed direction selectivity in which preferred stimulus motions were always nearly horizontal in the anterior or posterior direction. The direction selectivity of the units was broad in that excitatory acceptance angles were 180 degrees. Single units recorded from NOT in albino rabbits could be classified into 4 types based on regions of direction selectivity. The most common (64%) type of unit had receptive fields with two regions of opposed direction selectivity. The preferred direction of motion was anterior in lateral and posterior visual fields and was posterior in anterior visual fields. Two smaller groups of units (13% and 11%) had receptive fields with only one preferred direction. When the receptive field was anterior, the preferred direction was posterior. When the receptive field was lateral or posterior, the preferred direction was anterior. The least commonly encountered type of unit (7%) had receptive fields with two regions of direction selectivity. Anterior visual fields gave rise to anterior direction selectivity and lateral and posterior visual fields gave rise to posterior direction selectivity. The characteristics of NOT units are similar to those described for NOT units in pigmented rabbits except for an inversion of direction selectivity to stimulation from anterior visual fields. NOT units in albino rabbits show posterior direction selectivity when stimulation arises from anterior visual fields. The difference in directional preference in the visual receptive fields of the units in the NOT of albino rabbit may be responsible for the inversion of optokinetic pursuit eye movements characteristic of albino rabbits.

Albinism↗
PubMed1980

Adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex in albino rabbits by selective exposure of the anterior sector of the visual field.

Horizontal optokinetic reflexes (OKN) are inverted in an anterior (90-180 degrees) sector of the visual field in albino rabbits. We investigated whether the inverted processing of direction-selective information would affect long-term adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). Normal posterior parts of the visual fields were masked for periods up to 80 days. The inversion of OKN, with instability of the eyes and head in the light, was not corrected in this period. The amplitude of the VOR was progressively reduced, but a true inversion was not achieved. Recovery was seen after removal of the masks. These changes were larger and more consistent in Himalayan than in Polish rabbits. Normal, Dutch pigmented rabbits which served as controls showed no significant reduction of VOR gain. Phase lead of the VOR for low stimulus frequencies increased in both pigmented and albino rabbits. In short-term experiments with forced oscillation, similar but smaller changes were observed.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Post-rotary nystagmus and optokinetic after-nystagmus in the rabbit linear rather than exponential decay.

The decay of the slow phase velocity of post-rotatory (PRN) and optokinetic (OKAN) after-nystagmus as a function of time was measured in Dutch rabbits after stimulation with velocity steps of 30, 60, and 150 degrees/s. The decays fitted linear functions very well, but only poorly exponential ones. Typical decay rates were 2-5 degrees/s2, with apparent time constants (defined by decay to 37% of initial velocity) in the order of 10-20 s. Within one animal, the decays of OKAN and PRN with similar initial velocities were indistinguishable. With sinusoidal oscillation, the time constant of the vestibulo-ocular reflex - estimated from phase lead - was only 2-3 s, and probably similar to the cupular time constant. In general, time constants increased when eye velocities increased. This indicates that the vestibulo-ocular reflex of the rabbit behaves as a non-linear system. A velocity storage system with a constant discharge rate is postulated as a main non-linear element. This would introduce a linear decay of velocity as well as a threshold for velocity. This storage system would be common to both vestibulo-ocular and optokinetic reflexes.

Animals↗