Current Oculomotor Research: Physiological and Psychological Aspects

This volume contains the proceedings of the Ninth European Conference on Eye Movements (ECEM 9), held in Ulm, Germany, on September 23-26, 1997. ECEM 9 con­ tinued a series of conferences initiated by Rudolf Groner of Bern, Switzerland, in 1981 which, from its very beginning, has brought together scientists from very diverse fields with a common interest in eye movements. About 40 of the papers presented at ECEM 9 have been selected for presentation in full length while others are rendered in condensed form. There is a broad spectrum of motives why people have become involved in, and fas­ cinated by, eye movement research. Neuroscientists have been allured by the prospect of understanding anatomical findings, single unit recordings, and the sequels of experimental lesions in terms of the clearly defined system requirements and the well documented be­ havioural repertoire of the oculomotor system. Others have been attracted by the richness of this repertoire and its dependence on an intricate hierarchy of factors spanning from "simple" reflexes to visual pattern recognition and spatio-temporal prediction. Neurolo­ gists, neuro-ophthalmologists and neuro-otologists have long standing experience with eye movements as sensitive indicators of lesions in the brain stem, the midbrain, and the cere­ bellum. By studying oculomotor malfunctions they have made, and are continuing to make, important contributions to our understanding of oculomotor functions.