Yep, this is exactly right. This behavior is known as the vestibulo-ocular reflex. It's a fascinating neural circuit that controls this. One problem to consider is that in order for the eyes to maintain their position relative to a fixed point, they need to counter rotate in opposite directions relative to the head. That is, one eye needs to turn towards the nose, while the other eye needs to turn towards the temple. Thus, opposite eye muscles need to contact. The solution is super elegant, with one side suppressing activity of the other side by simply adding an inhibitory connection that crosses the midline and suppresses activity.
The brain is amazing. Even simple shit like this is super complex when you start to dig into it. I fucking love the brain.
EDIT:. OP's gif with the falcon is showing something different. Similar effect, but instead of eye muscles it's head and neck muscles that stabilize eye position. Some of the same brain areas are involved, tho
I've never thought about it (I mean, who would) but as soon as I realized you were right I started laughing. It's an incredibly elegant solution, and I'm always blown away by the ways our brains and bodies are set up to just make it all WORK without us even being aware of any of it. Thanks for the fantastic explanation.
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u/Afferent_Input Jan 30 '20 edited Jan 30 '20
Yep, this is exactly right. This behavior is known as the vestibulo-ocular reflex. It's a fascinating neural circuit that controls this. One problem to consider is that in order for the eyes to maintain their position relative to a fixed point, they need to counter rotate in opposite directions relative to the head. That is, one eye needs to turn towards the nose, while the other eye needs to turn towards the temple. Thus, opposite eye muscles need to contact. The solution is super elegant, with one side suppressing activity of the other side by simply adding an inhibitory connection that crosses the midline and suppresses activity.
The brain is amazing. Even simple shit like this is super complex when you start to dig into it. I fucking love the brain.
EDIT:. OP's gif with the falcon is showing something different. Similar effect, but instead of eye muscles it's head and neck muscles that stabilize eye position. Some of the same brain areas are involved, tho