Error Correcting Mechanisms during Antisaccades: Contribution of Online Control during Primary Saccades and Offline Control via Secondary Saccades

Abstract

Errors in eye movements can be corrected during the ongoing saccade through in-flight modifications (i.e., online control), or by programming a secondary eye movement (i.e., offline control). In a reflexive saccade task, the oculomotor system can use extraretinal information (i.e., efference copy) online to correct errors in the primary saccade, and offline retinal information to generate a secondary corrective saccade. The purpose of this study was to examine the error correction mechanisms in the antisaccade task. The roles of extraretinal and retinal feedback in maintaining eye movement accuracy were investigated by presenting visual feedback at the spatial goal of the antisaccade. We found that online control for antisaccade is not affected by the presence of visual feedback; that is whether visual feedback is present or not, the duration of the deceleration interval was extended and significantly correlated with reduced antisaccade endpoint error. We postulate that the extended duration of deceleration is a feature of online control during volitional saccades to improve their endpoint accuracy. We found that secondary saccades were generated more frequently in the antisaccade task compared to the reflexive saccade task. Furthermore, we found evidence for a greater contribution from extraretinal sources of feedback in programming the secondary “corrective” saccades in the antisaccade task. Nonetheless, secondary saccades were more corrective for the remaining antisaccade amplitude error in the presence of visual feedback of the target. Taken together, our results reveal a distinctive online error control strategy through an extension of the deceleration interval in the antisaccade task. Target feedback does not improve online control, rather it improves the accuracy of secondary saccades in the antisaccade task.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of sensorimotor transformations in saccades and antisaccades

“…Latencies were longer and more variable for antisaccades than prosaccades, which is in line with previous findings and can be attributed to additional cognitive processes that are needed to accomplish the coordinate transformation and to inhibit a stimulus-driven prosaccade (Anderson et al, 2008;Bedi et al, 2013;Bell et al, 2000;Dafoe et al, 2007;Ettinger et al, 2005;Moon et al, 2007;Munoz and Everling, 2004). Absolute spatial error was greater and more variable in antisaccades than prosaccades, as expected (Amador et al, 1998;Bedi et al, 2013;Dafoe et al, 2007;Ettinger et al, 2005).…”

“…Absolute spatial error was greater and more variable in antisaccades than prosaccades, as expected (Amador et al, 1998;Bedi et al, 2013;Dafoe et al, 2007;Ettinger et al, 2005). Gain was also higher in antisaccades than prosaccades.…”

“…Furthermore, the spatial goal of the saccade is not directly mapped on the sensory stimulus but has to be computed by inverting the initial stimulus vector by 180°, making the required stimulus response mapping spatially more complex than in standard prosaccades (Domagalik et al, 2012;Munoz and Everling, 2004). Due to these sensorimotor and inhibitory demands antisaccades are associated with longer reaction times, decreased spatial accuracy, and a greater recruitment of a dorsal fronto-parietal network including the PPC and the frontal and supplementary eye fields (FEF, SEF) than simple prosaccades (Bedi et al, 2013;Brown et al, 2006;Domagalik et al, 2012;Ettinger et al, 2003Ettinger et al, , 2005Ettinger et al, , 2008Smyrnis et al, 2002;Tatler and Hutton, 2007; for a review see: McDowell et al, 2008).…”

Saccadic Eye Movement Abnormalities in Children with Epilepsy

“…Criteria for valid saccades were a first horizontal eye movement from the onset of the target with a saccadic reaction time (SRT) between 80 and 1000 ms and with an amplitude equal to or greater than 1° of visual angle. Corrected antisaccade errors were secondary saccades after prosaccade errors with an onset less than 300 ms after error offset and in the direction opposite to the target [ 21 ]. Trials were excluded if the eyes were not fixated centrally at target onset, or contained eye blinks or head movements.…”

Oculomotor activity as an indicator of disturbances in perception and programming in patients with schizotypal disorder

“…В целом исследователи солидарны в том, что нарушения глазодвигательной активности при шизофрении и шизотипическом расстройстве связаны с процессами более высокого порядка -прогнозированием и контролем над движениями. Результаты нескольких работ подтверждают, что визуальная обратная связь играет второстепенную роль в быстрой коррекции антисаккадических ошибок [46], а наибольшую роль -внутреннее представление обследуемого о цели двигательного акта. Следовательно, при выполнении антисаккадического теста задействуются контроль и образ будущего действия.…”