Testing animal models of human oculomotor control with neuroimaging

We know more about the primate oculomotor system than any other motor system. From numerous studies that have measured electrical activity in single neurons, applied electrical microstimulation, characterized the behavioural sequelae of lesions, and mapped the afferent and efferent connections in oculomotor areas, exquisite animal models of human oculomotor control have evolved. In this chapter, I review studies that have begun to test these animal models in humans using neuroimaging techniques. I hope to highlight the importance of this form of translational research by describing several successes involving our understanding of the roles of the frontal and parietal cortex in saccade control. Moreover, I will discuss several problematic methodological issues that have proven challenging to our efforts of translation.