WAVES ASSOCIATED WITH EYE MOVEMENT IN AWAKE AND SLEEPING CAT

The spontaneous electrical activity in the dorso-medial region of the pons, the lateral geniculate nucleus and the marginal gyrus of the cerebral cortex (PGO waves) has been studied in a series of 40 experiments on the cat. The results include the following: 1. 1. PGO waves were observed in each of these three structures during wakefulness as well as during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. 2. 2. In the alert animal, lateral geniculate PGO waves were greatly reduced in amplitude and in a few instances impossible to detect. Cortical waves showed a similar but less pronounced attenuation. Pontine waves during wakefulness, however, appeared identical with those during REM sleep. 3. 3. PGO waves were shown to occur synchronously in each of the three structures and the characteristics of this synchrony have been described. Bilateral wave synchrony at both the lateral geniculate and cortical levels also was observed. 4. 4. A close correlation between PGO waves and eye movement during wakefulness and REM sleep was demonstrated. The results suggest that PGO waves represent mutually independent responses in the three structures studied to some triggering event in a common pacemaker. The constant association between PGO waves and eye movement, during both wakefulness and REM sleep, suggests that these potentials are related to some central mechanism of oculomotor-visual integration. © 1968.