The term gaze is frequently used in
physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
to describe coordinated motion of the eyes and neck. The lateral gaze is controlled by 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 ...
(PPRF).
The vertical gaze is controlled by the
and the
interstitial nucleus of Cajal
An interstitial space or interstice is a space between structures or objects.
In particular, interstitial may refer to:
Biology
* Interstitial cell tumor
* Interstitial cell, any cell that lies between other cells
* Interstitial collagenase, ...
.
Conjugate gaze
The ''conjugate gaze'' is the motion of both eyes in the same direction at the same time, and
conjugate gaze palsy
Conjugate gaze palsies are neurological disorders affecting the ability to move both eyes in the same direction. These palsies can affect gaze in a horizontal, upward, or downward direction. These entities overlap with ophthalmoparesis and ophtha ...
refers to an impairment of this function. The conjugate gaze is controlled by four different mechanisms:
* the
saccadic system that allows for voluntary direction of the gaze
* the
pursuit system that allows the subject to follow a moving object
*
nystagmus
Nystagmus is a condition of involuntary (or voluntary, in some cases) eye movement. Infants can be born with it but more commonly acquire it in infancy or later in life. In many cases it may result in reduced or limited vision. Due to the invol ...
which includes both vestibular nystagmus and optokinetic nystagmus. The vestibular system restores gaze in compensation for the rotation of the head whereas the
optokinetic system restores gaze despite movements of the outside world.
* the
vestibulo-ocular reflex system (VOR system) that corrects for the movements of the head to preserve the stable visual image of the world
References
External links
* http://www.med.yale.edu/caim/cnerves/cn6/cn6_8.html
*
{{Visual system
Eye
Neurophysiology