Visual and oculomotor functions of monkey subthalamic nucleus.

1. Single-unit recordings were obtained from the subthalamic nuclei of three monkeys trained to perform a series of visuooculomotor tasks. The monkeys were trained to fixate on a spot of light on the screen (fixation task). When the spot was turned off and a target spot came on, they were required to fixate on the target quickly by making a saccade. Visually guided saccades were elicited when the target came on without a time gap (saccade task). Memory-guided saccades were elicited by delivering a brief cue stimulus while the monkey was fixating; after a delay, the fixation spot was turned off and the monkey made a saccade to the remembered target (delayed saccade task). 2. Of 265 neurons tested, 95 showed spike activity that was related to some aspects of the visuooculomotor tasks, whereas 66 neurons responded to active or passive limb or body movements. The task-related activities were classified into the following categories: eye fixation-related, saccade-related, visual stimulus-related, target- and reward-related, and lever release-related. 3. Activity related to eye fixation (n = 22) consisted of a sustained spike discharge that occurred while the animal was fixating on a target light during the tasks. The activity increased after the animal started fixating on the target and abruptly ceased when the target went off. The activity was unrelated to eye position. It was not elicited during eye fixation outside the tasks. The activity decreased when the target spot was removed. 4. Activity related to saccades (n = 22) consisted of a phasic increase in spike frequency that was time locked with a saccade made during the tasks. The greatest increases occurred predominantly after saccade onset. This activity usually was unrelated to spontaneous saccades made outside the task. The changes in activity typically were optimal in one direction, generally toward the contralateral side. 5. Visual responses (n = 14) consisted of a phasic excitation in response to a visual probe stimulus or target. Response latencies usually were 70-120 ms. The receptive fields generally were centered in the contralateral hemifield, sometimes extending into the ipsilateral field. The receptive fields included the foveal region in seven neurons; most of these neurons responded best to parafoveal stimulation. Peripheral stimuli sometimes suppressed the activity of visually responsive neurons. 6. Activity related to target and reward (n = 29) consisted of sustained spike discharge that occurred only when the monkey could expect a reward by detecting the dimming of the light spot that he was fixating.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)