The FEF communicates with extraocular muscles indirectly via the paramedian pontine reticular formation.

The FEF have a topographic structure and represents saccade targets in retinotopic coordinates.

[6] There is also evidence that it plays a role in purely sensory processing and that it belongs to a “fast brain” system through a superior colliculus – medial dorsal nucleus – FEF ascending pathway.

[7] This fast brain pathway also provides auditory input at even shorter times starting at 24 ms and being affected by auditory characteristics at 30–60 ms.[7] The FEF constitutes together with the supplementary eye fields (SEF), the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and the superior colliculus (SC) one of the most important brain areas involved in the generation and control of eye movements, particularly in the direction contralateral to the frontal eye fields' location.

In addition, FEF has an important role in the covert allocation of spatial attention through its reciprocal connectivity with visual cortex.