Elsevier

Vision Research

Volume 16, Issue 10, 1976, Pages 1169-1171, IN7
Vision Research

Visually evoked eye movements in the mouse (Mus musculus)

https://doi.org/10.1016/0042-6989(76)90258-3Get rights and content

Abstract

Visually evoked eye movements were observed and measured in one inbred strain of the mouse (C57BL/6J) and in one inter-strain hybrid. This was done by observing pupillary movements while a mouse was restrained inside of a test apparatus that presented the mouse with slowly moving stripes and allowed the experimenter to view the mouse's pupil using i.r. illumination. Slow eye movements (smooth pursuits) occurred only in the direction of drum rotation. Rapid eye movements (saccades) occurred only in the opposite direction. The eye position often appeared to follow a fixed location on the drum while the direction of drum rotation was being reversed. Eye movements did not occur when the stripes were rotated in the dark. Mutants having retinal degeneration (C57BL/6Jrd le/rd le) had oscillatory eye movements independent of visual stimulus luminance or motion. Hybrid animals performed more frequent following movements than inbred animals. It is concluded thatM. musculus has visually-evoked eye movements, including the optokinetic nystagmus, and that the test described is suited to screen mice for subtle hereditary defects in vision.

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