Frames of reference for saccadic command tested by saccade collision in the supplementary eye field.

In what frame of reference does the supplementary eye field (SEF) encode saccadic eye movements? In this study, the "saccade collision" test was used to determine whether a saccade electrically evoked in the monkey's SEF is programmed to reach an oculocentric goal or a nonoculocentric (e.g., head or body-centered) goal. If the eyes start moving just before or when an oculocentric goal is imposed by electrical stimulation, the trajectory of the saccade to that goal should compensate for the ongoing movement. Conversely, if the goal imposed by electrical stimulation is nonoculocentric, the trajectory of the evoked saccade should not be altered. In head-fixed experiments, we mapped the trajectories of evoked saccades while the monkey fixated at each of 25 positions 10 degrees apart in a 40 x 40 degrees grid. For each studied SEF site, we calculated convergences indices and found that "convergent" and "nonconvergent" sites were separately clustered: nonconvergent rostral to convergent. Then, the "saccade collision" test was systematically applied. We found compensation at sites where saccades were of the nonconvergent type and practically no compensation at sites where saccades were of the convergent type. The results indicate that the SEF can encode saccade goals in at least two frames of reference and suggest a rostrocaudal segregation in the representation of these two modes.