1
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Pomè A, Schlichting N, Fritz C, Zimmermann E. Prediction of sensorimotor contingencies generates saccadic omission. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3215-3225.e4. [PMID: 38917799 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
With every movement of our eyes, the visual receptors in the retina are swiped across the visual scene. Saccades are the fastest and most frequent movements we perform, yet we remain unaware of the self-produced visual motion. Previous research has tried to identify a dedicated suppression mechanism that either actively or passively cancels vision at the time of saccades.1 Here, we investigated a novel theory, which states that saccadic omission results from habituation to the predicted sensory consequences of our own actions. We experimentally induced novel, i.e., artificial visual consequences of saccade performance by presenting gratings that were drifting faster than the flicker fusion frequency and that became visible only when participants performed saccades. We asked participants to perform more than 100 saccades in each session across these gratings to make the novel contingencies predictable for the sensorimotor system. We found that contrast sensitivity for intra-saccadic motion declined drastically after repeated exposure of such motion. The reduction in sensitivity was even specific to the saccade vector performed in habituation trials. Moreover, when subjects performed the same task in fixation, no reduction in sensitivity was observed. In a motion speed comparison task, we found that the reduction in contrast sensitivity is the consequence of silencing-predicted intra-saccadic visual motion. Our data demonstrate that the sensorimotor system selectively habituates to recurring intra-saccadic visual motion, suggesting an efficient prediction mechanism of visual stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Pomè
- Institute for Experimental Psychologe, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Nadine Schlichting
- Institute for Experimental Psychologe, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Clara Fritz
- Institute for Experimental Psychologe, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Eckart Zimmermann
- Institute for Experimental Psychologe, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
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2
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Zhang Y, Valsecchi M, Gegenfurtner KR, Chen J. The execution of saccadic eye movements suppresses visual processing of both color and luminance in the early visual cortex of humans. J Neurophysiol 2024; 131:1156-1167. [PMID: 38690998 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00419.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Our eyes execute rapid, directional movements known as saccades, occurring several times per second, to focus on objects of interest in our environment. During these movements, visual sensitivity is temporarily reduced. Despite numerous studies on this topic, the underlying mechanism remains elusive, including a lingering debate on whether saccadic suppression affects the parvocellular visual pathway. To address this issue, we conducted a study employing steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) elicited by chromatic and luminance stimuli while observers performed saccadic eye movements. We also employed an innovative analysis pipeline to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio, yielding superior results compared to the previous method. Our findings revealed a clear suppression effect on SSVEP signals during saccades compared to fixation periods. Notably, this suppression effect was comparable for both chromatic and luminance stimuli. We went further to measure the suppression effect across various contrast levels, which enabled us to model SSVEP responses with contrast response functions. The results suggest that saccades primarily reduce response gain without significantly affecting contrast gain and that this reduction applies uniformly to both chromatic and luminance pathways. In summary, our study provides robust evidence that saccades similarly suppress visual processing in both the parvocellular and magnocellular pathways within the human early visual cortex, as indicated by SSVEP responses. The observation that saccadic eye movements impact response gain rather than contrast gain implies that they influence visual processing through a multiplicative mechanism.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The present study demonstrates that saccadic eye movements reduce the processing of both luminance and chromatic stimuli in the early visual cortex of humans. By modeling the contrast response function, the study further shows that saccades affect visual processing by reducing the response gain rather than altering the contrast gain, suggesting that a multiplicative mechanism of visual attenuation affects both parvocellular and magnocellular pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Matteo Valsecchi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Universitá di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Karl R Gegenfurtner
- Abteilung Allgemeine Psychologie, Center for Mind, Brain & Behavior, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen, Germany
| | - Jing Chen
- School of Psychology, Research Center for Exercise and Brain Science, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
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3
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Denagamage S, Morton MP, Hudson NV, Reynolds JH, Jadi MP, Nandy AS. Laminar mechanisms of saccadic suppression in primate visual cortex. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112720. [PMID: 37392385 PMCID: PMC10528056 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Saccadic eye movements are known to cause saccadic suppression, a temporary reduction in visual sensitivity and visual cortical firing rates. While saccadic suppression has been well characterized at the level of perception and single neurons, relatively little is known about the visual cortical networks governing this phenomenon. Here we examine the effects of saccadic suppression on distinct neural subpopulations within visual area V4. We find subpopulation-specific differences in the magnitude and timing of peri-saccadic modulation. Input-layer neurons show changes in firing rate and inter-neuronal correlations prior to saccade onset, and putative inhibitory interneurons in the input layer elevate their firing rate during saccades. A computational model of this circuit recapitulates our empirical observations and demonstrates that an input-layer-targeting pathway can initiate saccadic suppression by enhancing local inhibitory activity. Collectively, our results provide a mechanistic understanding of how eye movement signaling interacts with cortical circuitry to enforce visual stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachira Denagamage
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Mitchell P Morton
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Nyomi V Hudson
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - John H Reynolds
- Systems Neurobiology Laboratories, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Monika P Jadi
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
| | - Anirvan S Nandy
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
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4
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Ghaderi A, Niemeier M, Crawford JD. Saccades and presaccadic stimulus repetition alter cortical network topology and dynamics: evidence from EEG and graph theoretical analysis. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2075-2100. [PMID: 35639544 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Parietal and frontal cortex are involved in saccade generation, and their output signals modify visual signals throughout cortex. Local signals associated with these interactions are well described, but their large-scale progression and network dynamics are unknown. Here, we combined source localized electroencephalography (EEG) and graph theory analysis (GTA) to understand how saccades and presaccadic visual stimuli interactively alter cortical network dynamics in humans. Twenty-one participants viewed 1-3 vertical/horizontal grids, followed by grid with the opposite orientation just before a horizontal saccade or continued fixation. EEG signals from the presaccadic interval (or equivalent fixation period) were used for analysis. Source localization-through-time revealed a rapid frontoparietal progression of presaccadic motor signals and stimulus-motor interactions, with additional band-specific modulations in several frontoparietal regions. GTA analysis revealed a saccade-specific functional network with major hubs in inferior parietal cortex (alpha) and the frontal eye fields (beta), and major saccade-repetition interactions in left prefrontal (theta) and supramarginal gyrus (gamma). This network showed enhanced segregation, integration, synchronization, and complexity (compared with fixation), whereas stimulus repetition interactions reduced synchronization and complexity. These cortical results demonstrate a widespread influence of saccades on both regional and network dynamics, likely responsible for both the motor and perceptual aspects of saccades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirhossein Ghaderi
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.,Vision Science to Applications (VISTA) Program York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Matthias Niemeier
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.,Vision Science to Applications (VISTA) Program York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - John Douglas Crawford
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.,Vision Science to Applications (VISTA) Program York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.,Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St,, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.,Department of Psychology, York University, 4700 Keele St,, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.,Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
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5
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Idrees S, Baumann MP, Korympidou MM, Schubert T, Kling A, Franke K, Hafed ZM, Franke F, Münch TA. Suppression without inhibition: how retinal computation contributes to saccadic suppression. Commun Biol 2022; 5:692. [PMID: 35821404 PMCID: PMC9276698 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03526-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual perception remains stable across saccadic eye movements, despite the concurrent strongly disruptive visual flow. This stability is partially associated with a reduction in visual sensitivity, known as saccadic suppression, which already starts in the retina with reduced ganglion cell sensitivity. However, the retinal circuit mechanisms giving rise to such suppression remain unknown. Here, we describe these mechanisms using electrophysiology in mouse, pig, and macaque retina, 2-photon calcium imaging, computational modeling, and human psychophysics. We find that sequential stimuli, like those that naturally occur during saccades, trigger three independent suppressive mechanisms in the retina. The main mechanism is triggered by contrast-reversing sequential stimuli and originates within the receptive field center of ganglion cells. It does not involve inhibition or other known suppressive mechanisms like saturation or adaptation. Instead, it relies on temporal filtering of the inherently slow response of cone photoreceptors coupled with downstream nonlinearities. Two further mechanisms of suppression are present predominantly in ON ganglion cells and originate in the receptive field surround, highlighting another disparity between ON and OFF ganglion cells. The mechanisms uncovered here likely play a role in shaping the retinal output following eye movements and other natural viewing conditions where sequential stimulation is ubiquitous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saad Idrees
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
- Center for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Matthias-Philipp Baumann
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Maria M Korympidou
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Timm Schubert
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexandra Kling
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Katrin Franke
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ziad M Hafed
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Felix Franke
- Bio Engineering Laboratory, ETH Zürich, 4058, Basel, Switzerland.
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel, 4031, Basel, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Science, University of Basel, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Thomas A Münch
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
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6
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Binda P, Morrone MC. Vision: Optimizing each glimpse. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R567-R569. [PMID: 35728527 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
A new study uses a rigorous approach to isolate the consequences of eye movements on cortical visual processing, showing that our visual system does not shut down during saccades but specifically modulates sensitivity to selected stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Binda
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; IRCCS Stella-Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy.
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7
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Nicolas G, Castet E, Rabier A, Kristensen E, Dojat M, Guérin-Dugué A. Neural correlates of intra-saccadic motion perception. J Vis 2021; 21:19. [PMID: 34698810 PMCID: PMC8556557 DOI: 10.1167/jov.21.11.19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal motion of the visual scene is not consciously perceived during ocular saccades in normal everyday conditions. It has been suggested that extra-retinal signals actively suppress intra-saccadic motion perception to preserve stable perception of the visual world. However, using stimuli optimized to preferentially activate the M-pathway, Castet and Masson (2000) demonstrated that motion can be perceived during a saccade. Based on this psychophysical paradigm, we used electroencephalography and eye-tracking recordings to investigate the neural correlates related to the conscious perception of intra-saccadic motion. We demonstrated the effective involvement during saccades of the cortical areas V1-V2 and MT-V5, which convey motion information along the M-pathway. We also showed that individual motion perception was related to retinal temporal frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëlle Nicolas
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, GIPSA-Lab, 38000 Grenoble, France.,
| | - Eric Castet
- LPC, Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (UMR 7290), Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille, France.,
| | - Adrien Rabier
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, GIPSA-Lab, 38000 Grenoble, France.,
| | | | - Michel Dojat
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, GIN, 38000 Grenoble, France.,
| | - Anne Guérin-Dugué
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, GIPSA-Lab, 38000 Grenoble, France.,
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8
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Fast and nonuniform dynamics of perisaccadic vision in the central fovea. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2101259118. [PMID: 34497123 PMCID: PMC8449317 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2101259118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans shift their gaze more frequently than their heart beats. These rapid eye movements (saccades) enable high visual acuity by redirecting the tiny high-resolution region of the retina (the foveola). But in doing so, they abruptly sweep the image across receptors, raising questions on how the visual system achieves stable percepts. It is well established that visual sensitivity is transiently attenuated during saccades. However, little is known about the time course of foveal vision despite its disproportionate importance, as technical challenges have so far prevented study of how saccades affect the foveola. Here we show that saccades modulate this region in a nonuniform manner, providing stronger and faster changes at its very center, a locus with higher sensitivity. Humans use rapid eye movements (saccades) to inspect stimuli with the foveola, the region of the retina where receptors are most densely packed. It is well established that visual sensitivity is generally attenuated during these movements, a phenomenon known as saccadic suppression. This effect is commonly studied with large, often peripheral, stimuli presented during instructed saccades. However, little is known about how saccades modulate the foveola and how the resulting dynamics unfold during natural visual exploration. Here we measured the foveal dynamics of saccadic suppression in a naturalistic high-acuity task, a task designed after primates’ social grooming, which—like most explorations of fine patterns—primarily elicits minute saccades (microsaccades). Leveraging on recent advances in gaze-contingent display control, we were able to systematically map the perisaccadic time course of sensitivity across the foveola. We show that contrast sensitivity is not uniform across this region and that both the extent and dynamics of saccadic suppression vary within the foveola. Suppression is stronger and faster in the most central portion, where sensitivity is generally higher and selectively rebounds at the onset of a new fixation. These results shed light on the modulations experienced by foveal vision during the saccade-fixation cycle and explain some of the benefits of microsaccades.
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9
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Spontaneous modulations of high-frequency cortical activity. Clin Neurophysiol 2021; 132:2391-2403. [PMID: 34454266 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2021.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We clarified the clinical and mechanistic significance of physiological modulations of high-frequency broadband cortical activity associated with spontaneous saccadic eye movements during a resting state. METHODS We studied 30 patients who underwent epilepsy surgery following extraoperative electrocorticography and electrooculography recordings. We determined whether high-gamma activity at 70-110 Hz preceding saccade onset would predict upcoming ocular behaviors. We assessed how accurately the model incorporating saccade-related high-gamma modulations would localize the primary visual cortex defined by electrical stimulation. RESULTS The dynamic atlas demonstrated transient high-gamma suppression in the striatal cortex before saccade onset and high-gamma augmentation subsequently involving the widespread posterior brain regions. More intense striatal high-gamma suppression predicted the upcoming saccade directed to the ipsilateral side and lasting longer in duration. The bagged-tree-ensemble model demonstrated that intense saccade-related high-gamma modulations localized the visual cortex with an accuracy of 95%. CONCLUSIONS We successfully animated the neural dynamics supporting saccadic suppression, a principal mechanism minimizing the perception of blurred vision during rapid eye movements. The primary visual cortex per se may prepare actively in advance for massive image motion expected during upcoming prolonged saccades. SIGNIFICANCE Measuring saccade-related electrocorticographic signals may help localize the visual cortex and avoid misperceiving physiological high-frequency activity as epileptogenic.
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10
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Braun DI, Schütz AC, Gegenfurtner KR. Age effects on saccadic suppression of luminance and color. J Vis 2021; 21:11. [PMID: 34144606 PMCID: PMC8237129 DOI: 10.1167/jov.21.6.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Saccadic eye movements modulate visual perception: they initiate and terminate high acuity vision at a certain location in space, but before and during their execution visual contrast sensitivity is strongly attenuated for 100 to 200 ms. Transient perisaccadic perceptual distortions are assumed to be an important mechanism to maintain visual stability. Little is known about age effects on saccadic suppression, even though for healthy adults other major age-related changes are well documented, like a decrease of visual contrast sensitivity for intermediate and high spatial frequencies or an increase of saccade latencies. Here, we tested saccadic suppression of luminance and isoluminant chromatic flashes in 100 participants from eight to 78 years. To estimate the effect of saccadic suppression on contrast sensitivity, we used a two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) design and an adaptive staircase procedure to modulate the luminance or chromatic contrast of a flashed detection target during fixation and 15 ms after saccade onset. The target was a single horizontal luminance or chromatic line flashed 2° above or below the fixation or saccade target. Compared to fixation, average perisaccadic contrast sensitivity decreased significantly by 66% for luminance and by 36% for color. A significant correlation was found for the strength of saccadic suppression of luminance and color. However, a small age effect was found only for the strength of saccadic suppression of luminance, which increased from 64% to 70% from young to old age. We conclude that saccadic suppression for luminance and color is present in most participants independent of their age and that mechanisms of suppression stay relatively stable during healthy aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris I Braun
- Abteilung Allgemeine Psychologie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain & Behavior, Marburg, Germany
- https://www.allpsych.uni-giessen.de/doris
| | - Alexander C Schütz
- Allgemeine und Biologische Psychologie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain & Behavior, Marburg, Germany
- https://www.uni-marburg.de/en/fb04/team-schuetz/team/alexander-schutz
| | - Karl R Gegenfurtner
- Abteilung Allgemeine Psychologie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain & Behavior, Marburg, Germany
- https://www.allpsych.uni-giessen.de/karl
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11
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Liu ZX, Rosenbaum RS, Ryan JD. Restricting Visual Exploration Directly Impedes Neural Activity, Functional Connectivity, and Memory. Cereb Cortex Commun 2020; 1:tgaa054. [PMID: 33154992 PMCID: PMC7595095 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We move our eyes to explore the visual world, extract information, and create memories. The number of gaze fixations-the stops that the eyes make-has been shown to correlate with activity in the hippocampus, a region critical for memory, and with later recognition memory. Here, we combined eyetracking with fMRI to provide direct evidence for the relationships between gaze fixations, neural activity, and memory during scene viewing. Compared to free viewing, fixating a single location reduced: 1) subsequent memory, 2) neural activity along the ventral visual stream into the hippocampus, 3) neural similarity between effects of subsequent memory and visual exploration, and 4) functional connectivity among the hippocampus, parahippocampal place area, and other cortical regions. Gaze fixations were uniquely related to hippocampal activity, even after controlling for neural effects due to subsequent memory. Therefore, this study provides key causal evidence supporting the notion that the oculomotor and memory systems are intrinsically related at both the behavioral and neural level. Individual gaze fixations may provide the basic unit of information on which memory binding processes operate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong-Xu Liu
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan 48128, USA
| | - R Shayna Rosenbaum
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada
| | - Jennifer D Ryan
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada
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12
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Hülsdünker T, Ostermann M, Mierau A. Motion-Onset Visual Potentials Evoked in a Sport-Specific Visuomotor Reaction Task. JOURNAL OF SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY 2020; 42:280-291. [PMID: 32663802 DOI: 10.1123/jsep.2019-0255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Although neural visual processes play a crucial role in sport, experiments have been restricted to laboratory conditions lacking ecological validity. Therefore, this study examined the feasibility of measuring visual evoked potentials in a sport-specific visuomotor task. A total of 18 international elite young table tennis athletes (mean age 12.5 years) performed a computer-based and a sport-specific visuomotor reaction task in response to radial motion-onset stimuli on a computer screen and table tennis balls played by a ball machine, respectively. A 64-channel electroencephalography system identified the N2 and N2-r motion-onset visual evoked potentials in the motion-sensitive midtemporal visual area. Visual evoked potential amplitudes were highly correlated between conditions (N2 r = .72, N2-r r = .74) although significantly lower in the sport-specific task than in the lab-based task (N2 p < .001, N2-r p < .001). The results suggest that sport-specific visual stimulation is feasible to evoke visual potentials. This emphasizes the investigation of visual processes under more ecologically valid conditions in sport and exercise science.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martin Ostermann
- Fédération Luxemburgeoise de Tennis du Table
- China Table Tennis College Europe
| | - Andreas Mierau
- LUNEX International University of Health, Exercise and Sports
- German Sport University Cologne
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13
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Abstract
Visual sensitivity, probed through perceptual detectability of very brief visual stimuli, is strongly impaired around the time of rapid eye movements. This robust perceptual phenomenon, called saccadic suppression, is frequently attributed to active suppressive signals that are directly derived from eye movement commands. Here we show instead that visual-only mechanisms, activated by saccade-induced image shifts, can account for all perceptual properties of saccadic suppression that we have investigated. Such mechanisms start at, but are not necessarily exclusive to, the very first stage of visual processing in the brain, the retina. Critically, neural suppression originating in the retina outlasts perceptual suppression around the time of saccades, suggesting that extra-retinal movement-related signals, rather than causing suppression, may instead act to shorten it. Our results demonstrate a far-reaching contribution of visual processing mechanisms to perceptual saccadic suppression, starting in the retina, without the need to invoke explicit motor-based suppression commands. Saccadic suppression is frequently attributed to active suppressive signals derived from eye movement commands. Here, the authors show that visual-only mechanisms starting in the retina can account for perceptual saccadic suppression properties without the need for motor-based suppression commands.
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14
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Coiner B, Pan H, Bennett ML, Bodien YG, Iyer S, O'Neil-Pirozzi TM, Leung L, Giacino JT, Stern E. Functional neuroanatomy of the human eye movement network: a review and atlas. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:2603-2617. [PMID: 31407103 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01932-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The human eye movement network is a complex system that requires the integration of sensory, motor, attentional, and executive processes. Here, we review the neuroanatomy of the eye movement network with an emphasis on functional neuroimaging applications. We consolidate the literature into a concise resource designed to be immediately accessible and applicable to diverse research interests, and present the novel Functional Oculomotor System (FOcuS) Atlas-a tool in stereotaxic space that will simplify and standardize the inclusion of the eye movement network in future functional neuroimaging studies. We anticipate this review and the FOcuS Atlas will facilitate increased examination of the eye movement network across disciplines leading to a thorough understanding of how eye movement network function contributes to higher-order cognition and how it is integrated with other brain networks. Furthermore, functional examination of the eye movement network in patient populations offers the potential for deeper insight into the role of eye movement circuitry in functional network activity, diagnostic assessments, and the indications for augmentative communication systems that rely on eye movement control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Coiner
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Avenue, BLI442, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Eskind Family Biomedical Library and Learning Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2209 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
| | - Hong Pan
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Avenue, BLI442, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Monica L Bennett
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Avenue, BLI442, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yelena G Bodien
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Neurology, Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, 300 First Ave, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Swathi Iyer
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Avenue, BLI442, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,The MathWorks, Inc, 1 Apple Hill Drive, Natick, MA, 01760, USA
| | - Therese M O'Neil-Pirozzi
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, 300 First Ave, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.,Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Lorene Leung
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Avenue, BLI442, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Boston University School of Medicine, 72 E Concord St, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Joseph T Giacino
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, 300 First Ave, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Emily Stern
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Avenue, BLI442, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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15
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Brooks JX, Cullen KE. Predictive Sensing: The Role of Motor Signals in Sensory Processing. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2019; 4:842-850. [PMID: 31401034 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The strategy of integrating motor signals with sensory information during voluntary behavior is a general feature of sensory processing. It is required to distinguish externally applied (exafferent) from self-generated (reafferent) sensory inputs. This distinction, in turn, underlies our ability to achieve both perceptual stability and accurate motor control during everyday activities. In this review, we consider the results of recent experiments that have provided circuit-level insight into how motor-related inputs to sensory areas selectively cancel self-generated sensory inputs during active behaviors. These studies have revealed both common strategies and important differences across systems. Sensory reafference is suppressed at the earliest stages of central processing in the somatosensory, vestibular, and auditory systems, with the cerebellum and cerebellum-like structures playing key roles. Furthermore, motor-related inputs can also suppress reafferent responses at higher levels of processing such as the cortex-a strategy preferentially used in visual processing. These recent findings have important implications for understanding how the brain achieves the flexibility required to continuously calibrate relationships between motor signals and the resultant sensory feedback, a computation necessary for our subjective awareness that we control both our actions and their sensory consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica X Brooks
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Kathleen E Cullen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
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16
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Chen J, Valsecchi M, Gegenfurtner KR. Saccadic suppression measured by steady-state visual evoked potentials. J Neurophysiol 2019; 122:251-258. [PMID: 30943105 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00712.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual sensitivity is severely impaired during the execution of saccadic eye movements. This phenomenon has been extensively characterized in human psychophysics and nonhuman primate single-neuron studies, but a physiological characterization in humans is less established. Here, we used a method based on steady-state visually evoked potential (SSVEP), an oscillatory brain response to periodic visual stimulation, to examine how saccades affect visual sensitivity. Observers made horizontal saccades back and forth, while horizontal black-and-white gratings flickered at 5-30 Hz in the background. We analyzed EEG epochs with a length of 0.3 s either centered at saccade onset (saccade epochs) or centered at fixations half a second before the saccade (fixation epochs). Compared with fixation epochs, saccade epochs showed a broadband power increase, which most likely resulted from saccade-related EEG activity. The execution of saccades, however, led to an average reduction of 57% in the SSVEP amplitude at the stimulation frequency. This result provides additional evidence for an active saccadic suppression in the early visual cortex in humans. Compared with previous functional MRI and EEG studies, an advantage of this approach lies in its capability to trace the temporal dynamics of neural activity throughout the time course of a saccade. In contrast to previous electrophysiological studies in nonhuman primates, we did not find any evidence for postsaccadic enhancement, even though simulation results show that our method would have been able to detect it. We conclude that SSVEP is a useful technique to investigate the neural correlates of visual perception during saccadic eye movements in humans. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We make fast ballistic saccadic eye movements a few times every second. At the time of saccades, visual sensitivity is severely impaired. The present study uses steady-state visually evoked potentials to reveal a neural correlate of the fine temporal dynamics of these modulations at the time of saccades in humans. We observed a strong reduction (57%) of visually driven neural activity associated with saccades but did not find any evidence for postsaccadic enhancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Chen
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport , Shanghai , China
| | - Matteo Valsecchi
- Abteilung Allgemeine Psychologie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen , Germany
| | - Karl R Gegenfurtner
- Abteilung Allgemeine Psychologie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen , Germany
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17
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Abstract
The perceptual consequences of eye movements are manifold: Each large saccade is accompanied by a drop of sensitivity to luminance-contrast, low-frequency stimuli, impacting both conscious vision and involuntary responses, including pupillary constrictions. They also produce transient distortions of space, time, and number, which cannot be attributed to the mere motion on the retinae. All these are signs that the visual system evokes active processes to predict and counteract the consequences of saccades. We propose that a key mechanism is the reorganization of spatiotemporal visual fields, which transiently increases the temporal and spatial uncertainty of visual representations just before and during saccades. On one hand, this accounts for the spatiotemporal distortions of visual perception; on the other hand, it implements a mechanism for fusing pre- and postsaccadic stimuli. This, together with the active suppression of motion signals, ensures the stability and continuity of our visual experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Binda
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56123 Pisa, Italy;,
- CNR Institute of Neuroscience, 56123 Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56123 Pisa, Italy;,
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella-Maris, Calambrone, 56128 Pisa, Italy
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18
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Chen CY, Sonnenberg L, Weller S, Witschel T, Hafed ZM. Spatial frequency sensitivity in macaque midbrain. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2852. [PMID: 30030440 PMCID: PMC6054627 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05302-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual brain areas exhibit tuning characteristics well suited for image statistics present in our natural environment. However, visual sensation is an active process, and if there are any brain areas that ought to be particularly in tune with natural scene statistics, it would be sensory-motor areas critical for guiding behavior. Here we found that the rhesus macaque superior colliculus, a structure instrumental for rapid visual exploration with saccades, detects low spatial frequencies, which are the most prevalent in natural scenes, much more rapidly than high spatial frequencies. Importantly, this accelerated detection happens independently of whether a neuron is more or less sensitive to low spatial frequencies to begin with. At the population level, the superior colliculus additionally over-represents low spatial frequencies in neural response sensitivity, even at near-foveal eccentricities. Thus, the superior colliculus possesses both temporal and response gain mechanisms for efficient gaze realignment in low-spatial-frequency-dominated natural environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Yang Chen
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany.,Graduate School of Neural and Behavioural Sciences, International Max Planck Research School, Tuebingen University, 72074, Tuebingen, BW, Germany.,Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany
| | - Lukas Sonnenberg
- Master's Program for Neurobiology, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany
| | - Simone Weller
- Master's Program for Neurobiology, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany
| | - Thede Witschel
- Master's Program for Neurobiology, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany
| | - Ziad M Hafed
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany. .,Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tuebingen University, 72076, Tuebingen, BW, Germany.
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19
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Railo H, Tuominen J, Kaasinen V, Pesonen H. Dynamic Changes in Cortical Effective Connectivity Underlie Transsaccadic Integration in Humans. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:3609-3617. [PMID: 27365299 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2016] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to saccadic eye movements the retinal image is abruptly displaced 2-4 times a second, yet we experience a stable and continuous stream of vision. It is known that saccades modulate neural processing in various local brain areas, but the question of how saccades influence neural communication between different areas in the thalamo-cortical system has remained unanswered. By combining transcranial magnetic stimulation with electroencephalography, we found that saccades were accompanied by dynamic changes in causal communication between different brain areas in humans. These changes were anticipatory; they began before the actual eye movement. Compared with fixation, communication between posterior cortical areas was first briefly enhanced during saccades, but subsequently peri-saccadic information did not ignite sustained activity in fronto-parietal cortices. This suggests that the brain constructs a spatially stable and temporally continuous stream of conscious vision from discrete fixations by restricting the access of peri-saccadic visual information to sustained processing in fronto-parietal cortices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Railo
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland.,Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland.,Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Jarno Tuominen
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland.,Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland.,Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Valtteri Kaasinen
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland.,Division of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, FI-20521 Turku, Finland.,Turku PET Centre, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, FI-20521 Turku, Finland
| | - Henri Pesonen
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland.,Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
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20
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Muller L, Chavane F, Reynolds J, Sejnowski TJ. Cortical travelling waves: mechanisms and computational principles. Nat Rev Neurosci 2018; 19:255-268. [PMID: 29563572 DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2018.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 241] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Multichannel recording technologies have revealed travelling waves of neural activity in multiple sensory, motor and cognitive systems. These waves can be spontaneously generated by recurrent circuits or evoked by external stimuli. They travel along brain networks at multiple scales, transiently modulating spiking and excitability as they pass. Here, we review recent experimental findings that have found evidence for travelling waves at single-area (mesoscopic) and whole-brain (macroscopic) scales. We place these findings in the context of the current theoretical understanding of wave generation and propagation in recurrent networks. During the large low-frequency rhythms of sleep or the relatively desynchronized state of the awake cortex, travelling waves may serve a variety of functions, from long-term memory consolidation to processing of dynamic visual stimuli. We explore new avenues for experimental and computational understanding of the role of spatiotemporal activity patterns in the cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyle Muller
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Frédéric Chavane
- Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone (INT), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - John Reynolds
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Terrence J Sejnowski
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, La Jolla, CA, USA
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21
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Abstract
The use of vision to coordinate behavior requires an efficient control design that stabilizes the world on the retina or directs the gaze towards salient features in the surroundings. With a level gaze, visual processing tasks are simplified and behaviorally relevant features from the visual environment can be extracted. No matter how simple or sophisticated the eye design, mechanisms have evolved across phyla to stabilize gaze. In this review, we describe functional similarities in eyes and gaze stabilization reflexes, emphasizing their fundamental role in transforming sensory information into motor commands that support postural and locomotor control. We then focus on gaze stabilization design in flying insects and detail some of the underlying principles. Systems analysis reveals that gaze stabilization often involves several sensory modalities, including vision itself, and makes use of feedback as well as feedforward signals. Independent of phylogenetic distance, the physical interaction between an animal and its natural environment - its available senses and how it moves - appears to shape the adaptation of all aspects of gaze stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J Hardcastle
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - Holger G Krapp
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
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22
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Mechanisms of Saccadic Suppression in Primate Cortical Area V4. J Neurosci 2017; 36:9227-39. [PMID: 27581462 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1015-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Psychophysical studies have shown that subjects are often unaware of visual stimuli presented around the time of an eye movement. This saccadic suppression is thought to be a mechanism for maintaining perceptual stability. The brain might accomplish saccadic suppression by reducing the gain of visual responses to specific stimuli or by simply suppressing firing uniformly for all stimuli. Moreover, the suppression might be identical across the visual field or concentrated at specific points. To evaluate these possibilities, we recorded from individual neurons in cortical area V4 of nonhuman primates trained to execute saccadic eye movements. We found that both modes of suppression were evident in the visual responses of these neurons and that the two modes showed different spatial and temporal profiles: while gain changes started earlier and were more widely distributed across visual space, nonspecific suppression was found more often in the peripheral visual field, after the completion of the saccade. Peripheral suppression was also associated with increased noise correlations and stronger local field potential oscillations in the α frequency band. This pattern of results suggests that saccadic suppression shares some of the circuitry responsible for allocating voluntary attention. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We explore our surroundings by looking at things, but each eye movement that we make causes an abrupt shift of the visual input. Why doesn't the world look like a film recorded on a shaky camera? The answer in part is a brain mechanism called saccadic suppression, which reduces the responses of visual neurons around the time of each eye movement. Here we reveal several new properties of the underlying mechanisms. First, the suppression operates differently in the central and peripheral visual fields. Second, it appears to be controlled by oscillations in the local field potentials at frequencies traditionally associated with attention. These results suggest that saccadic suppression shares the brain circuits responsible for actively ignoring irrelevant stimuli.
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23
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Bonkhoff AK, Zimmermann E, Fink GR. Veridical stimulus localization is linked to human area V5/MT+ activity. Neuroimage 2017; 156:377-387. [PMID: 28495637 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Revised: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/07/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
How the brain represents visual space is an unsolved mystery. Spatial localization becomes particularly challenging when visual information processing is briefly disrupted, as in the case of saccadic eye movements, blinks, or visual masks. As we have recently reported, a compression of visual space, illustrated by displacements of shortly flashed stimuli, can be observed in the temporal vicinity of masking stimuli during ocular fixation (Zimmermann et al., 2013). We here aimed at investigating the neural mechanisms underlying these displacements using functional magnetic resonance imaging. On the behavioral level, we detected significant stimulus displacement when visual masks were simultaneously presented. At the neural level, we observed decreased human motion complex V5/MT+ activation associated with these displacements: When comparing trials with a perceived stimulus shift in space to trials of veridical perception of stimulus localization, human V5/MT+ was significantly less activated although no differences in perceived motion can account for this. Data suggest an important role of human V5/MT+ in the process of spatial localization of briefly presented objects and thus extend current concepts of the functions of human V5/MT+.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K Bonkhoff
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Juelich, 52425 Juelich, Germany.
| | - Eckart Zimmermann
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Juelich, 52425 Juelich, Germany
| | - Gereon R Fink
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Centre Juelich, 52425 Juelich, Germany; Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany
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24
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Visual sensitivity for luminance and chromatic stimuli during the execution of smooth pursuit and saccadic eye movements. Vision Res 2017; 136:57-69. [DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2017.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Revised: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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25
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Chen CY, Hafed ZM. A neural locus for spatial-frequency specific saccadic suppression in visual-motor neurons of the primate superior colliculus. J Neurophysiol 2017; 117:1657-1673. [PMID: 28100659 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00911.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Saccades cause rapid retinal-image shifts that go perceptually unnoticed several times per second. The mechanisms for saccadic suppression have been controversial, in part because of sparse understanding of neural substrates. In this study we uncovered an unexpectedly specific neural locus for spatial frequency-specific saccadic suppression in the superior colliculus (SC). We first developed a sensitive behavioral measure of suppression in two macaque monkeys, demonstrating selectivity to low spatial frequencies similar to that observed in earlier behavioral studies. We then investigated visual responses in either purely visual SC neurons or anatomically deeper visual motor neurons, which are also involved in saccade generation commands. Surprisingly, visual motor neurons showed the strongest visual suppression, and the suppression was dependent on spatial frequency, as in behavior. Most importantly, suppression selectivity for spatial frequency in visual motor neurons was highly predictive of behavioral suppression effects in each individual animal, with our recorded population explaining up to ~74% of behavioral variance even on completely different experimental sessions. Visual SC neurons had mild suppression, which was unselective for spatial frequency and thus only explained up to ~48% of behavioral variance. In terms of spatial frequency-specific saccadic suppression, our results run contrary to predictions that may be associated with a hypothesized SC saccadic suppression mechanism, in which a motor command in the visual motor and motor neurons is first relayed to the more superficial purely visual neurons, to suppress them and to then potentially be fed back to cortex. Instead, an extraretinal modulatory signal mediating spatial-frequency-specific suppression may already be established in visual motor neurons.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Saccades, which repeatedly realign the line of sight, introduce spurious signals in retinal images that normally go unnoticed. In part, this happens because of perisaccadic suppression of visual sensitivity, which is known to depend on spatial frequency. We discovered that a specific subtype of superior colliculus (SC) neurons demonstrates spatial-frequency-dependent suppression. Curiously, it is the neurons that help mediate the saccadic command itself that exhibit such suppression, and not the purely visual ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Yang Chen
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tuebingen University, Tuebingen, Germany.,Graduate School of Neural and Behavioural Sciences, International Max Planck Research School, Tuebingen University, Tuebingen, Germany; and.,Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Ziad M Hafed
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tuebingen University, Tuebingen, Germany; .,Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tuebingen, Germany
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26
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Preferential coding of eye/hand motor actions in the human ventral occipito-temporal cortex. Neuropsychologia 2016; 93:116-127. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Revised: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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27
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Practice improves peri-saccadic shape judgment but does not diminish target mislocalization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E7327-E7336. [PMID: 27807142 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1607051113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual sensitivity is markedly reduced during an eye movement. Peri-saccadic vision is also characterized by a mislocalization of the briefly presented stimulus closer to the saccadic target. These features are commonly viewed as obligatory elements of peri-saccadic vision. However, practice improves performance in many perceptual tasks performed at threshold conditions. We wondered if this could also be the case with peri-saccadic perception. To test this, we used a paradigm in which subjects reported the orientation (or location) of an ellipse briefly presented during a saccade. Practice on peri-saccadic orientation discrimination led to long-lasting gains in that task but did not alter the classical mislocalization of the visual stimulus. Shape discrimination gains were largely generalized to other untrained conditions when the same stimuli were used (discrimination during a saccade in the opposite direction or at a different stimulus location than previously trained). However, performance dropped to baseline level when participants shifted to a novel Vernier discrimination task under identical saccade conditions. Furthermore, practice on the location task did not induce better stimulus localization or discrimination. These results suggest that the limited visual information available during a saccade may be better used with practice, possibly by focusing attention on the specific target features or a better readout of the available information. Saccadic mislocalization, by contrast, is robust and resistant to top-down modulations, suggesting that it involves an automatic process triggered by the upcoming execution of a saccade (e.g., an efference copy signal).
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28
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Krock RM, Moore T. Visual sensitivity of frontal eye field neurons during the preparation of saccadic eye movements. J Neurophysiol 2016; 116:2882-2891. [PMID: 27683894 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01140.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Primate vision is continuously disrupted by saccadic eye movements, and yet this disruption goes unperceived. One mechanism thought to reduce perception of this self-generated movement is saccadic suppression, a global loss of visual sensitivity just before, during, and after saccadic eye movements. The frontal eye field (FEF) is a candidate source of neural correlates of saccadic suppression previously observed in visual cortex, because it contributes to the generation of visually guided saccades and modulates visual cortical responses. However, whether the FEF exhibits a perisaccadic reduction in visual sensitivity that could be transmitted to visual cortex is unknown. To determine whether the FEF exhibits a signature of saccadic suppression, we recorded the visual responses of FEF neurons to brief, full-field visual probe stimuli presented during fixation and before onset of saccades directed away from the receptive field in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) We measured visual sensitivity during both epochs and found that it declines before saccade onset. Visual sensitivity was significantly reduced in visual but not visuomotor neurons. This reduced sensitivity was also present in visual neurons with no movement-related modulation during visually guided saccades and thus occurred independently from movement-related activity. Across the population of visual neurons, sensitivity began declining ∼80 ms before saccade onset. We also observed a similar presaccadic reduction in sensitivity to isoluminant, chromatic stimuli. Our results demonstrate that the signaling of visual information by FEF neurons is reduced during saccade preparation, and thus these neurons exhibit a signature of saccadic suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M Krock
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; and
| | - Tirin Moore
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; and .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
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29
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Smythies J, de Lantremange MD. The Nature and Function of Digital Information Compression Mechanisms in the Brain and in Digital Television Technology. Front Syst Neurosci 2016; 10:40. [PMID: 27199688 PMCID: PMC4858531 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2016.00040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- John Smythies
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Center for Brain and Cognition, University of CaliforniaSan Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- *Correspondence: John Smythies
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Crewther DP, Crewther D, Bevan S, Goodale MA, Crewther SG. Greater magnocellular saccadic suppression in high versus low autistic tendency suggests a causal path to local perceptual style. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2015; 2:150226. [PMID: 27019719 PMCID: PMC4807440 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Saccadic suppression-the reduction of visual sensitivity during rapid eye movements-has previously been proposed to reflect a specific suppression of the magnocellular visual system, with the initial neural site of that suppression at or prior to afferent visual information reaching striate cortex. Dysfunction in the magnocellular visual pathway has also been associated with perceptual and physiological anomalies in individuals with autism spectrum disorder or high autistic tendency, leading us to question whether saccadic suppression is altered in the broader autism phenotype. Here we show that individuals with high autistic tendency show greater saccadic suppression of low versus high spatial frequency gratings while those with low autistic tendency do not. In addition, those with high but not low autism spectrum quotient (AQ) demonstrated pre-cortical (35-45 ms) evoked potential differences (saccade versus fixation) to a large, low contrast, pseudo-randomly flashing bar. Both AQ groups showed similar differential visual evoked potential effects in later epochs (80-160 ms) at high contrast. Thus, the magnocellular theory of saccadic suppression appears untenable as a general description for the typically developing population. Our results also suggest that the bias towards local perceptual style reported in autism may be due to selective suppression of low spatial frequency information accompanying every saccadic eye movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- David P. Crewther
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Daniel Crewther
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Stephanie Bevan
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Melvyn A. Goodale
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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Frost A, Niemeier M. Suppression and reversal of motion perception around the time of the saccade. Front Syst Neurosci 2015; 9:143. [PMID: 26582270 PMCID: PMC4628122 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2015.00143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 10/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We make fast, “saccadic” eye movements to capture finely resolved foveal snapshots of the world but these saccades cause motion artefacts. The artefacts go unnoticed, perhaps because the brain suppresses them through subcortical oculomotor signals feeding back into visual cortex. Opposing views, however, claim that passive mechanisms suffice: saccadic shearing forces might render the retina insensitive to the artefacts or post-saccadic snapshots might mask them before they enter consciousness. Crucially, only active suppression could explain perceptual changes that precede saccades but existing evidence for presaccadic misperception are ill-suited for addressing this issue: Previous studies have found misperceptions of space for objects briefly flashed before saccades, but perhaps only because observers confused the timing of flashes and saccades before they could be tested (“postdiction”), and presaccadic motion perception might have appeared to decline because motion stimuli persisted past eye movement onset. Here we addressed these concerns using briefly flashed two-frame animations (50 ms) to probe people’s motion sensitivity during and around saccades. We found that sensitivity declined before saccade onset, even when the probe appeared entirely outside the saccade, and this sensitivity decline was present for motion in every direction relative to saccade, ruling out problems with postdiction. Intriguingly, brief periods during the saccade produced negative sensitivity as if motion was reversed, arguably due to postsaccadic enhancement. These data suggest that motion perception is minimized during saccades through active suppression, complementing neurophysiological findings of colliculo-pulvinar projections that suppress the cortical middle temporal area around the time of the saccade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Frost
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto at Scarborough Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Matthias Niemeier
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto at Scarborough Toronto, ON, Canada
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Single-neuron activity and eye movements during human REM sleep and awake vision. Nat Commun 2015; 6:7884. [PMID: 26262924 PMCID: PMC4866865 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2014] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Are rapid eye movements (REMs) in sleep associated with visual-like activity, as during wakefulness? Here we examine single-unit activities (n=2,057) and intracranial electroencephalography across the human medial temporal lobe (MTL) and neocortex during sleep and wakefulness, and during visual stimulation with fixation. During sleep and wakefulness, REM onsets are associated with distinct intracranial potentials, reminiscent of ponto-geniculate-occipital waves. Individual neurons, especially in the MTL, exhibit reduced firing rates before REMs as well as transient increases in firing rate immediately after, similar to activity patterns observed upon image presentation during fixation without eye movements. Moreover, the selectivity of individual units is correlated with their response latency, such that units activated after a small number of images or REMs exhibit delayed increases in firing rates. Finally, the phase of theta oscillations is similarly reset following REMs in sleep and wakefulness, and after controlled visual stimulation. Our results suggest that REMs during sleep rearrange discrete epochs of visual-like processing as during wakefulness. Since the discovery of rapid eye movements (REMs), a critical question endures as to whether they represent time points at which visual-like processing is updated. Here the authors demonstrate that cortical activity during sleep REMs shares many properties with that observed during saccades and vision.
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Transsaccadic processing: stability, integration, and the potential role of remapping. Atten Percept Psychophys 2015; 77:3-27. [PMID: 25380979 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-014-0751-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
While our frequent saccades allow us to sample the complex visual environment in a highly efficient manner, they also raise certain challenges for interpreting and acting upon visual input. In the present, selective review, we discuss key findings from the domains of cognitive psychology, visual perception, and neuroscience concerning two such challenges: (1) maintaining the phenomenal experience of visual stability despite our rapidly shifting gaze, and (2) integrating visual information across discrete fixations. In the first two sections of the article, we focus primarily on behavioral findings. Next, we examine the possibility that a neural phenomenon known as predictive remapping may provide an explanation for aspects of transsaccadic processing. In this section of the article, we delineate and critically evaluate multiple proposals about the potential role of predictive remapping in light of both theoretical principles and empirical findings.
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Zanos TP, Mineault PJ, Nasiotis KT, Guitton D, Pack CC. A sensorimotor role for traveling waves in primate visual cortex. Neuron 2015; 85:615-27. [PMID: 25600124 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.12.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Revised: 09/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Traveling waves of neural activity are frequently observed to occur in concert with the presentation of a sensory stimulus or the execution of a movement. Although such waves have been studied for decades, little is known about their function. Here we show that traveling waves in the primate extrastriate visual cortex provide a means of integrating sensory and motor signals. Specifically, we describe a traveling wave of local field potential (LFP) activity in cortical area V4 of macaque monkeys that is triggered by the execution of saccadic eye movements. These waves sweep across the V4 retinotopic map, following a consistent path from the foveal to the peripheral representations of space; their amplitudes correlate with the direction and size of each saccade. Moreover, these waves are associated with a reorganization of the postsaccadic neuronal firing patterns, which follow a similar retinotopic progression, potentially prioritizing the processing of behaviorally relevant stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodoros P Zanos
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Ave, #896, Montreal, QC H2V2A1, Canada.
| | - Patrick J Mineault
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Ave, #896, Montreal, QC H2V2A1, Canada; Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Konstantinos T Nasiotis
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Ave, #896, Montreal, QC H2V2A1, Canada
| | - Daniel Guitton
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Ave, #896, Montreal, QC H2V2A1, Canada
| | - Christopher C Pack
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Ave, #896, Montreal, QC H2V2A1, Canada.
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Thomas NA, Loetscher T, Nicholls MER. Asymmetries in attention as revealed by fixations and saccades. Exp Brain Res 2014; 232:3253-67. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-014-4015-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2014] [Accepted: 06/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Uematsu M, Matsuzaki N, Brown EC, Kojima K, Asano E. Human occipital cortices differentially exert saccadic suppression: Intracranial recording in children. Neuroimage 2013; 83:224-36. [PMID: 23792979 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.06.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2012] [Revised: 04/27/2013] [Accepted: 06/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
By repeating saccades unconsciously, humans explore the surrounding world every day. Saccades inevitably move external visual images across the retina at high velocity; nonetheless, healthy humans don't perceive transient blurring of the visual scene during saccades. This perceptual stability is referred to as saccadic suppression. Functional suppression is believed to take place transiently in the visual systems, but it remains unknown how commonly or differentially the human occipital lobe activities are suppressed at the large-scale cortical network level. We determined the spatial-temporal dynamics of intracranially-recorded gamma activity at 80-150 Hz around spontaneous saccades under no-task conditions during wakefulness and those in darkness during REM sleep. Regardless of wakefulness or REM sleep, a small degree of attenuation of gamma activity was noted in the occipital regions during saccades, most extensively in the polar and least in the medial portions. Longer saccades were associated with more intense gamma-attenuation. Gamma-attenuation was subsequently followed by gamma-augmentation most extensively involving the medial and least involving the polar occipital region. Such gamma-augmentation was more intense during wakefulness and temporally locked to the offset of saccades. The polarities of initial peaks of perisaccadic event-related potentials (ERPs) were frequently positive in the medial and negative in the polar occipital regions. The present study, for the first time, provided the electrophysiological evidence that human occipital cortices differentially exert perisaccadic modulation. Transiently suppressed sensitivity of the primary visual cortex in the polar region may be an important neural basis for saccadic suppression. Presence of occipital gamma-attenuation even during REM sleep suggests that saccadic suppression might be exerted even without external visual inputs. The primary visual cortex in the medial region, compared to the polar region, may be more sensitive to an upcoming visual scene provided at the offset of each saccade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsugu Uematsu
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8574, Japan
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37
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Guez J, Morris AP, Krekelberg B. Intrasaccadic suppression is dominated by reduced detector gain. J Vis 2013; 13:13.8.4. [PMID: 23820025 DOI: 10.1167/13.8.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Human vision requires fast eye movements (saccades). Each saccade causes a self-induced motion signal, but we are not aware of this potentially jarring visual input. Among the theorized causes of this phenomenon is a decrease in visual sensitivity before (presaccadic suppression) and during (intrasaccadic suppression) saccades. We investigated intrasaccadic suppression using a perceptual template model (PTM) relating visual detection to different signal-processing stages. One stage changes the gain on the detector's input; another increases uncertainty about the stimulus, allowing more noise into the detector; and other stages inject noise into the detector in a stimulus-dependent or -independent manner. By quantifying intrasaccadic suppression of flashed horizontal gratings at varying external noise levels, we obtained threshold-versus-noise (TVN) data, allowing us to fit the PTM. We tested if any of the PTM parameters changed significantly between the fixation and saccade models and could therefore account for intrasaccadic suppression. We found that the dominant contribution to intrasaccadic suppression was a reduction in the gain of the visual detector. We discuss how our study differs from previous ones that have pointed to uncertainty as an underlying cause of intrasaccadic suppression and how the equivalent noise approach provides a framework for comparing the disparate neural correlates of saccadic suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Guez
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA.
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38
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Thomas NA, Loetscher T, Nicholls MER. Central fixations with rightward deviations: saccadic eye movements on the landmark task. Exp Brain Res 2012; 220:29-39. [PMID: 22623091 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-012-3113-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2012] [Accepted: 04/26/2012] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A Thomas
- School of Psychology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.
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Saccades during object viewing modulate oscillatory phase in the superior temporal sulcus. J Neurosci 2012; 31:18423-32. [PMID: 22171044 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4102-11.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Saccadic eye movements (SEMs) are the primary means of gating visual information in primates and strongly influence visual perception. The active exploration of the visual environment ("active vision") via SEMs produces suppression during saccades and enhancement afterward (i.e., during fixation) in occipital visual areas. In lateral temporal lobe visual areas, the influence, if any, of eye movements is less well understood, despite the necessity of these areas for forming coherent percepts of objects. The upper bank of the superior temporal sulcus (uSTS) is one such area whose sensitivity to SEMs is unknown. We therefore examined how saccades modulate local field potentials (LFPs) in the uSTS of macaque monkeys while they viewed face and nonface object stimuli. LFP phase concentration increased following fixation onset in the alpha (8-14 Hz), beta (14-30 Hz), and gamma (30-60 Hz) bands and was distinct from the image-evoked response. Furthermore, near-coincident onsets of fixation and image presentation--like those occurring in active vision--led to enhanced responses through greater phase concentration in the same frequency bands. Finally, single-unit activity was modulated by the phase of alpha, beta, and gamma oscillations, suggesting that the observed phase-locking influences spike timing in uSTS. Previous research implicates phase concentration in these frequency bands as a correlate of perceptual performance (Womelsdorf et al., 2006; Bosman et al., 2009). Together, these results demonstrate sensitivity to eye movements in an object-processing region of the brain and represent a plausible neural basis for the enhancement of object processing during active vision.
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40
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Ibbotson M, Krekelberg B. Visual perception and saccadic eye movements. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2011; 21:553-8. [PMID: 21646014 PMCID: PMC3175312 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2011.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2011] [Revised: 05/12/2011] [Accepted: 05/15/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
We use saccades several times per second to move the fovea between points of interest and build an understanding of our visual environment. Recent behavioral experiments show evidence for the integration of pre- and postsaccadic information (even subliminally), the modulation of visual sensitivity, and the rapid reallocation of attention. The recent physiological literature has identified a characteristic modulation of neural responsiveness-perisaccadic reduction followed by a postsaccadic increase-that is found in many visual areas, but whose source is as yet unknown. This modulation seems optimal for reducing sensitivity during and boosting sensitivity between saccades, but no study has yet established a direct causal link between neural and behavioral changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Ibbotson
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science, R.N. Robertson Building, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
| | - Bart Krekelberg
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, 197 University, Avenue, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States, T: +1 973 353 3602, F: +1 973 273 4803
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Abstract
Visual stimuli presented just before or during an eye movement are more difficult to detect than those same visual stimuli presented during fixation. This laboratory phenomenon--behavioral saccadic suppression--is thought to underlie the everyday experience of not perceiving the motion created by our own eye movements-saccadic omission. At the neural level, many cortical and subcortical areas respond differently to perisaccadic visual stimuli than to stimuli presented during fixation. Those neural response changes, however, are complex and the link to the behavioral phenomena of reduced detectability remains tentative. We used a well established model of human visual detection performance to provide a quantitative description of behavioral saccadic suppression and thereby allow a more focused search for its neural mechanisms. We used an equivalent noise method to distinguish between three mechanisms that could underlie saccadic suppression. The first hypothesized mechanism reduces the gain of the visual system, the second increases internal noise levels in a stimulus-dependent manner, and the third increases stimulus uncertainty. All three mechanisms predict that perisaccadic stimuli should be more difficult to detect, but each mechanism predicts a unique pattern of detectability as a function of the amount of external noise. Our experimental finding was that saccades increased detection thresholds at low external noise, but had little influence on thresholds at high levels of external noise. A formal analysis of these data in the equivalent noise analysis framework showed that the most parsimonious mechanism underlying saccadic suppression is a stimulus-independent reduction in response gain.
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Abstract
Attenuation of visual activity in the superficial layers (SLs), stratum griseum superficiale and stratum opticum, of the superior colliculus during saccades may contribute to reducing perceptual blur during saccades and also may help prevent subsequent unwanted saccades. GABAergic neurons in the intermediate, premotor, layer (SGI), stratum griseum intermedium, send an inhibitory input to SL. This pathway provided the basis for a model proposing that the SGI premotor cells that project to brainstem gaze centers and discharge before saccades also activate neighboring GABAergic neurons that suppress saccade-induced visual activity in SL. The in vitro method allowed us to test this model. We made whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in collicular slices from either rats or GAD67-GFP knock-in mice, in which GABAergic neurons could be identified by their expression of green fluorescence protein (GFP). Antidromic electrical stimulation of SGI premotor cells was produced by applying pulse currents in which their axons congregate after exiting the superior colliculus. The stimulation evoked monosynaptic EPSCs in SGI GABAergic neurons that project to SL, as would be predicted if these neurons receive excitatory input from the premotor cells. Second, IPSCs were evoked in SL neurons, some of which project to the visual thalamus. These IPSCs were polysynaptically mediated by the GABAergic neurons that were excited by the antidromically activated SGI neurons. These results support the hypothesis that collaterals of premotor neuron axons excite GABAergic neurons that inhibit SL visuosensory cells.
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Abstract
Microsaccades can elevate contrast detection thresholds of human observers and modulate the activity of neurons in monkey visual cortex. Whether microsaccades elevate contrast detection thresholds in monkey observers is not known and bears on the interpretation of neurophysiological experiments. To answer this question, we trained two monkeys to perform a 2AFC contrast detection task. Performance was worse on trials in which a microsaccade occurred during the stimulus presentation. The magnitude of the effect was modest (threshold changes of <0.2 log unit) and color specific: achromatic sensitivity was impaired, but red-green sensitivity was not. To explore the neural basis of this effect, we recorded the responses of individual V1 neurons to a white noise stimulus. Microsaccades produced a suppression of spiking activity followed by an excitatory rebound that was similar for L - M cone-opponent and L + M nonopponent V1 neurons. We conclude that microsaccades in the monkey increase luminance contrast detection thresholds and modulate the spiking activity of V1 neurons, but the luminance specificity of the behavioral suppression is likely implemented downstream of V1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles A Hass
- Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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44
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Mazaheri A, DiQuattro NE, Bengson J, Geng JJ. Pre-stimulus activity predicts the winner of top-down vs. bottom-up attentional selection. PLoS One 2011; 6:e16243. [PMID: 21386896 PMCID: PMC3046127 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0016243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2010] [Accepted: 12/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Our ability to process visual information is fundamentally limited. This leads to competition between sensory information that is relevant for top-down goals and sensory information that is perceptually salient, but task-irrelevant. The aim of the present study was to identify, from EEG recordings, pre-stimulus and pre-saccadic neural activity that could predict whether top-down or bottom-up processes would win the competition for attention on a trial-by-trial basis. We employed a visual search paradigm in which a lateralized low contrast target appeared alone, or with a low (i.e., non-salient) or high contrast (i.e., salient) distractor. Trials with a salient distractor were of primary interest due to the strong competition between top-down knowledge and bottom-up attentional capture. Our results demonstrated that 1) in the 1-sec pre-stimulus interval, frontal alpha (8–12 Hz) activity was higher on trials where the salient distractor captured attention and the first saccade (bottom-up win); and 2) there was a transient pre-saccadic increase in posterior-parietal alpha (7–8 Hz) activity on trials where the first saccade went to the target (top-down win). We propose that the high frontal alpha reflects a disengagement of attentional control whereas the transient posterior alpha time-locked to the saccade indicates sensory inhibition of the salient distractor and suppression of bottom-up oculomotor capture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Mazaheri
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
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45
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Abstract
How our perceptual experience of the world remains stable and continuous in the face of continuous rapid eye movements still remains a mystery. This review discusses some recent progress towards understanding the neural and psychophysical processes that accompany these eye movements. We firstly report recent evidence from imaging studies in humans showing that many brain regions are tuned in spatiotopic coordinates, but only for items that are actively attended. We then describe a series of experiments measuring the spatial and temporal phenomena that occur around the time of saccades, and discuss how these could be related to visual stability. Finally, we introduce the concept of the spatio-temporal receptive field to describe the local spatiotopicity exhibited by many neurons when the eyes move.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Burr
- Department of Psychology, University of Florence, Via di San Salvi 12, Florence 50135, Italy.
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46
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Reuter B, Kaufmann C, Bender J, Pinkpank T, Kathmann N. Distinct neural correlates for volitional generation and inhibition of saccades. J Cogn Neurosci 2010; 22:728-38. [PMID: 19366286 DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2009.21235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The antisaccade task has proven highly useful in basic and clinical neuroscience, and the neural structures involved are well documented. However, the cognitive and neural mechanisms that mediate task performance are not yet understood. An event-related fMRI study was designed to dissociate the neural correlates of two putative key functions, volitional saccade generation and inhibition of reflexive saccades, and to investigate their interaction. Nineteen healthy volunteers performed a task that required (a) to initiate saccades volitionally, either with or without a simultaneous demand to inhibit a reflexive saccade; and (b) to inhibit a reflexive saccade, either with or without a simultaneous demand to initiate a saccade volitionally. Analysis of blood oxygen level-dependent signal changes confirmed a major role of the frontal eye fields and the supplementary eye fields in volitional saccade generation. Inhibition-related activation of a specific fronto-parietal network was highly consistent with previous evidence involved in inhibitory processes. Unexpectedly, there was little evidence of specific brain activation during combined generation and inhibition demands, suggesting that the neural processing of generation and inhibition in antisaccades is independent to a large extent.
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47
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Gallace A, Zeeden S, Röder B, Spence C. Lost in the move? Secondary task performance impairs tactile change detection on the body. Conscious Cogn 2010; 19:215-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2009.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2008] [Revised: 06/26/2009] [Accepted: 07/02/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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48
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Tse PU, Baumgartner FJ, Greenlee MW. Event-related functional MRI of cortical activity evoked by microsaccades, small visually-guided saccades, and eyeblinks in human visual cortex. Neuroimage 2010; 49:805-16. [PMID: 19646539 PMCID: PMC2764842 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.07.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2009] [Revised: 07/03/2009] [Accepted: 07/22/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine blood oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes following microsaccades, visually-guided saccades, and eyeblinks in retinotopically mapped visual cortical areas V1-V3 and hMT+. A deconvolution analysis revealed a similar pattern of BOLD activation following a microsaccade, 0.16 degrees voluntary saccade, and 0.16 degrees displacement of the image under conditions of fixation. In all areas, an initial increase in BOLD signal peaking at approximately 4.5 s after the event was followed by a decline and decrease below baseline. This modulation appears most pronounced for microsaccades and small voluntary saccades in V1, diminishing in strength from V1 to V3. In contrast, 0.16 degrees real motion under conditions of fixation yields the same level of BOLD signal increase in V1 through V3. BOLD signal modulates parametrically with the size of voluntary saccades (0.16 degrees , 0.38 degrees , 0.82 degrees , 1.64 degrees , and 3.28 degrees ) in V1-V3, but not in hMT+. Eyeblinks generate larger modulation that peaks by 6.5 s, and dips below baseline by 10 s post-event, and also exhibits diminishing modulation from V1 to V3. Our results are consistent with the occurrence of transient neural excitation driven by changes in input to retinal ganglion cell receptive fields that are induced by microsaccades, visually-guided saccades, or small image shifts. The pattern of results in area hMT+ exhibits no significant modulation by microsaccades, relatively small modulation by eyeblinks, and substantial responses to saccades and background jumps, suggesting that spurious image motion signal arising from microsaccades and eyeblinks is relatively diminished by hMT+.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter U Tse
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
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49
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Apparent motion during saccadic suppression periods. Exp Brain Res 2009; 202:155-69. [PMID: 20024650 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-009-2120-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2009] [Accepted: 11/30/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Sensitivity to many visual stimuli, and, in particular, image displacement, is reduced during a change in fixation (saccade) compared to when the eye is still. In these experiments, we studied the sensitivity of observers to ecologically relevant image translations of large, complex, real world scenes either during horizontal saccades or during fixation. In the first experiment, we found that such displacements were much less detectable during saccades than during fixation. Qualitatively, even when trans-saccadic scene changes were detectable, they were less salient and appeared slower than equivalent changes in the absence of a saccade. Two further experiments followed up on this observation and estimated the perceived magnitude of trans-saccadic apparent motion using a two-interval forced-choice procedure (Experiment 2) and a magnitude estimation procedure (Experiment 3). Both experiments suggest that trans-saccadic displacements were perceived as smaller than equivalent inter-saccadic displacements. We conclude that during saccades, the magnitude of the apparent motion signal is attenuated as well as its detectability.
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Antipointing: perception-based visual information renders an offline mode of control. Exp Brain Res 2009; 202:55-64. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-009-2111-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2009] [Accepted: 11/20/2009] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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