Eye movements have provided an excellent substrate with which to explore the neural control of motor systems. The simplicity of the neural circuitry and physical plants, in comparison to visually directed limb movements, allow for much easier analysis and extrapolation. The adaptive capabilities of eye movements are robust and reflect the significant neural plasticity within these systems. Although crucial for optimal motor function, these adaptive properties and the neural mechanisms responsible are only beginning to be understood. While limb and saccadic adaptations have been intensively studied, the adaptive response is measured indirectly as a change in the original response. Vergence, however, appears to provide the opportunity to measure the adaptive response in isolation. The following are preliminary results of a study investigating the adaptive properties of vergence eye movements using a main sequence analysis. The effects of stimulus directionality and amplitude are investigated and compared to the reflexive vergence innervation patterns known to exist to similar stimuli.
['Ian M. Erkelens']
Isolating the adaptive element of tonic convergence & divergence