The large amount of data on the initiation of saccadic eye movements
that has been published in recent years makes a review both necessary
and almost impossible at the same time. Psychophysical work in man,
behavioral studies in animals, and neurophysiological and anatomical
experiments in monkeys and cats must be considered as well as observations
on neurologic and psychiatric patients. Since it is controlled by a
large number of brain structures, including different cortical and subcortical
visual areas, the saccadic system is far from operating like a
simple reflex. Even though there are good reviews of parts of these
structures, a synoptic view of how the parts of the whole system may
act together during the initiation of a saccade is lacking.
This article reviews mainly the work published in the last 5 years
from the point of view of a hypothetical conceptual frame work which
- right or wrong - provides the reader with a context to comprehend
the material.