The frontal eye fields (FEF) are a region located in the frontal cortex, more specifically in

Brodmann area 8 Brodmann area 8 is one of Brodmann's cytologically defined regions of the brain. It is involved in planning complex movements. Human Brodmann area 8, or BA8, is part of the frontal cortex in the human brain. Situated just anterior to the prem ...

or BA8, of the primate

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...

. In humans, it can be more accurately said to lie in a region around the intersection of the

middle frontal gyrus The middle frontal gyrus makes up about one-third of the frontal lobe of the human brain. (A ''gyrus'' is one of the prominent "bumps" or "ridges" on the surface of the human brain.) The middle frontal gyrus, like the inferior frontal gyrus an ...

with the

precentral gyrus The precentral gyrus is a prominent gyrus on the surface of the posterior frontal lobe of the brain. It is the site of the primary motor cortex that in humans is cytoarchitecturally defined as Brodmann area 4. Structure The precentral gyrus l ...

, consisting of a frontal and parietal portion. The FEF is responsible for saccadic eye movements for the purpose of visual field perception and awareness, as well as for voluntary eye movement. The FEF communicates with extraocular muscles indirectly via the

paramedian pontine reticular formation The paramedian pontine reticular formation, also known as PPRF or paraabducens nucleus, is part of the pontine reticular formation, a brain region without clearly defined borders in the center of the pons. It is involved in the coordination of eye ...

. Destruction of the FEF causes deviation of the eyes to the ipsilateral side.

Function

The cortical area called frontal eye field (FEF) plays an important role in the control of visual attention and eye movements. Electrical stimulation in the FEF elicits saccadic eye movements. The FEF have a topographic structure and represents saccade targets in retinotopic coordinates. The frontal eye field is reported to be activated during the initiation of

eye movements Eye movement includes the voluntary or involuntary movement of the eyes. Eye movements are used by a number of organisms (e.g. primates, rodents, flies, birds, fish, cats, crabs, octopus) to fixate, inspect and track visual objects of inte ...

, such as voluntary

saccade A saccade ( , French for ''jerk'') is a quick, simultaneous movement of both eyes between two or more phases of fixation in the same direction.Cassin, B. and Solomon, S. ''Dictionary of Eye Terminology''. Gainesville, Florida: Triad Publishi ...

s and pursuit eye movements. There is also evidence that it plays a role in purely sensory processing and that it belongs to a “fast brain” system through a

superior colliculus In neuroanatomy, the superior colliculus () is a structure lying on the roof of the mammalian midbrain. In non-mammalian vertebrates, the homologous structure is known as the optic tectum, or optic lobe. The adjective form ''tectal'' is commonly ...

–

medial dorsal nucleus The medial dorsal nucleus (or dorsomedial nucleus of thalamus) is a large nucleus in the thalamus. It is believed to play a role in memory. Structure It relays inputs from the amygdala and olfactory cortex and projects to the prefrontal cortex a ...

– FEF ascending pathway. In humans, its earliest activations in regard to visual stimuli occur at 45 ms with activations related to changes in visual stimuli within 45–60 ms (these are comparable with response times in the

primary visual cortex The visual cortex of the brain is the area of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information. It is located in the occipital lobe. Sensory input originating from the eyes travels through the lateral geniculate nucleus in the thalamus and ...

). This fast brain pathway also provides auditory input at even shorter times starting at 24 ms and being affected by auditory characteristics at 30–60 ms. The FEF constitutes together with the supplementary eye fields (SEF), the

intraparietal sulcus The intraparietal sulcus (IPS) is located on the lateral surface of the parietal lobe, and consists of an oblique and a horizontal portion. The IPS contains a series of functionally distinct subregions that have been intensively investigated usin ...

(IPS) and the

(SC) one of the most important brain areas involved in the generation and control of eye movements, particularly in the direction contralateral to the frontal eye fields' location. In addition, FEF has an important role in the covert allocation of spatial attention through its reciprocal connectivity with visual cortex.

Clinical significance

Lesions

Unilateral irritative stimulation of a FEF causes

conjugate gaze The term gaze is frequently used in physiology to describe coordinated motion of the eyes and neck. The lateral gaze is controlled by the paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF). The vertical gaze is controlled by the rostral interstitial nucl ...

contralateral to the stimulation. Conversely, a unilateral destructive lesion of the FEF causes conjugate gaze towards the lesion.

References

External links

Frontal Eye Field (Scholarpedia)
{{Visual system Saccade Brodmann areas Cerebral cortex Frontal lobe

Function

Clinical significance

Lesions

See also

References

External links