Walsh & Hoyt: Vestibulo-Ocular System

During normal behavior, it is natural to use a combination of eye and head movements, whether to voluntarily acquire or track a target of interest or to reflexively stabilize gaze in response to a passive body movement. Even foveate animals that have acquired a high degree of independent control over their eyes and head commonly use both eye and head movements together. This cooperation between eye and head movement is reflected in the anatomic and physiologic similarities between the head and ocular motor control systems. When the head moves, peripheral labyrinthine and cervical proprioceptors reflexes, inducing vestibulo-ocular (headeye), cervico-ocular (neck-eye), and vestibulo-collic (headneck) reflexes, are stimulated to stabilize gaze. We have described cervico-ocular and vestibulo-collic reflexes, combined eye and head saccades, and combined eye and head pursuit in a prior edition of this book, and readers may consult that and other works for further information on eyehead coordination. Here we discuss the vestibulo-ocular reflex.