Abstract
We investigated the effect of directional saccades on visual cortex using fMRI. A location in either the upper right or upper left visual quadrant was cued as the saccade target on each trial. After an empty delay period, an auditory cue signaled whether to make the saccade, ‘go’; or to remain fixated, ‘no-go’. Activation was found in the lingual gyrus contralateral to the cued saccade direction. While this applied for both ‘go’ and ‘no-go’ trials, the direction-specific effects were larger in the ‘go’ condition. These results suggest that preparing a saccade to a remembered location produces activation in visual cortex specific to the location of the anticipated saccade, with execution of the saccade leading to stronger activation. Individual retinotopic mapping suggests quadrant-specific activations affecting the earliest stages of visual cortex.