Neuronal correlates for preparatory set associated with pro-saccades and anti-saccades in the primate frontal eye field

Diversity in behavioral responses to sensory stimuli has been attributed to variations in preparatory set. Variability in oculomotor responses toward identical visual stimuli has been well documented, but the neuronal processes underlying this variability are poorly understood. Here, we report evidence for set-related activity for saccadic eye movements in single neurons in the frontal eye field (FEF) in monkeys trained on a task in which they either had to look toward a visual stimulus (pro-saccade) or away from the stimulus (anti-saccade) depending on a previous instruction. A portion of FEF neurons were identified as neurons projecting directly to the superior colliculus (SC) with antidromic activation techniques. Saccade-related neurons in the FEF had lower prestimulus and stimulus-related activity on anti-saccade trials compared with pro-saccade trials. The level of prestimulus activity correlated with saccadic reaction times, express saccade occurrence, and errors in the anti-saccade task. In addition, saccade-related activity in the FEF was higher for pro-saccades than for anti-saccades. These results demonstrate that the direct descending pathway from the FEF to the SC carries preparatory set-related activity for pro-saccades and anti-saccades. The results also provide insights into the neuronal basis of variations in saccadic reaction times and in the control of the prepotent response to glance to a flashed stimulus.