The Superior Colliculus: New Approaches for Studying Sensorimotor Integration

To answer the fundamental question of how sensory systems interface and meaningfully engage their motor counterparts, experts have focused on a small, phylogenetically ancient midbrain structure, the superior colliculus. Presenting information amassed from more than 30 years of research, The Superior Colliculus: New Approaches for Studying Sensorimotor Integration gathers together the most important pieces of evidence regarding the structure and function of the superior colliculus.The first three chapters explore the involvement of the superior colliculus in the control of gaze shift and rapid eye movements. Subsequent chapters provide a detailed discussion of structural features as they relate to functional properties. Placing empirical data in the context of theory, the final chapters use computational models of the superior colliculus as scaffolds around which to organize psychophysical, neurological, anatomical, and physiological findings concerning its involvement in orienting movements.Investigators appear to be on the threshold of unveiling, for the first time in the mammalian brain, the neural mechanisms responsible for a specific example of sensorimotor integration. With contributions from recognized experts on the frontier of oculomotor research, The Superior Colliculus: New Approaches for Studying Sensorimotor Integration presents, in a single volume, a summary of the progress accomplished to date and the vistas opened up for future exploration.