Which region is primarily involved in the initiation of saccades?

• A. Ipsilateral Frontal Eye Fields
• B. Contralateral Frontal Eye Fields
• C. Occipitoparietal Junction
• D. Cervicomedullary Junction

Answer: (B)

Initiation of voluntary saccades comes from the frontal eye fields in the frontal cortex. Activation in one hemisphere drives a rapid eye movement toward the opposite visual field, so the region primarily responsible for initiating saccades is the contralateral frontal eye fields. The signal then travels to the superior colliculus and down to the brainstem gaze centers to coordinate the extraocular muscles.

The other areas don’t initiate saccades themselves. The occipitoparietal junction is more about guiding attention and selecting targets rather than issuing the motor command for a quick eye move. The cervicomedullary junction is a brainstem region involved in downstream motor pathways, not the cortical initiation source for voluntary saccades.