Cortical control of eye movements

Eye movements in humans and non-human primates move the fovea, the most sensitive part of the retina, to the current object of interest. Saccades rapidly shift the fovea from the current object of interest to a new one. Smooth pursuit keeps the fovea on a moving object. Unlike the skeletal musculature, the basic anatomy of the oculomotor system has remained stable throughout vertebral evolution, and the cortex does not control the kinematics of eye movements. Instead, the cortex decides when and where to move the eyes. This review describes the frontal and parietal areas which control saccades, and the frontal and middle temporal areas which control pursuit.