Oculo-manual tracking of visual targets: control learning, coordination control and coordination model

Abstract

The processes which develop to coordinate eye and hand movements in response to motion of a visual target were studied in young children and adults. We have shown that functional maturation of the coordination control between eye and hand takes place as a result of training. We observed, in the trained child and in the adult, that when the hand is used either as a target or to track a visual target, the dynamic characteristics of the smooth pursuit system are markedly improved: the eye to target delay is decreased from 150 ms in eye alone tracking to 30 ms, and smooth pursuit maximum velocity is increased by 100%. Coordination signals between arm and eye motor systems may be responsible for smooth pursuit eye movements which occur during self-tracking of hand or finger in darkness. These signals may also account for the higher velocity smooth pursuit eye movements and the shortened tracking delay when the hand is used as a target, as well as for the synkinetic eye-arm motions observed at the early stage of oculo-manual tracking training in children. We propose a model to describe the interaction which develops between two systems involved in the execution of a common sensorimotor task. The model applies to the visuo-oculo-manual tracking system, but it may be generalized to other coordinated systems. According to our definition, coordination control results from the reciprocal transfer of sensory and motor information between two or more systems involved in the execution of single, goal-directed or conjugate actions. This control, originating in one or more highly specialized structures of the central nervous system, combines with the control processes normally operating in each system. Our model relies on two essential notions which describe the dynamic and static aspects of coordination control: timing and mutual coupling.

Pursuit Eye Movements Involve a Covert Motor Plan for Manual Tracking

“…To account for these observations, a model has been proposed in which ocular and manual responses are controlled by completely independent sensorimotor systems, and performance improvement during combined tracking would result from an interchange of nonvisual signals between separate controllers (Gauthier et al, 1988;Lazzari et al, 1997;Scarchilli and Vercher, 1999). A place at which such exchange of information could occur is the cerebellum, where oculomotor signals would be used to exert a predictive control of manual tracking (Miall and Reckess, 2002).…”

“…The reverse is also true, as manual tracking performance is more precise if eye and hand follow the same spatial trajectory, than when tracking is made by the hand alone (Miall and Reckess, 2002). To account for these findings, a mutual coupling between eye and hand motor control systems has been proposed, in which a performance improvement results from an exchange of nonvisual signals between separate controls (Gauthier et al, 1988;Lazzari et al, 1997;Scarchilli and Vercher, 1999).…”

Gaze–mouse coordinated movements and dependency with coordination demands in tracing

“…Eye-hand coordination has been studied in various human behavioural tasks, including object reaching and pointing (Biguer et al 1982;Neggers and Bekkering 2000;Ariff et al 2002;Crawford et al 2004;Masia et al 2009), web browsing (Chen et al 2001;Rodden et al 2008;Guo and Agichtein 2010), goal-directed aiming (Binsted et al 2001;Behan and Wilson 2008), visually guided tracking (Gauthier et al 1988;Vercher and Gauthier 1992;Xia and Barnes 1999;Tramper and Gielen 2011), drawing (Reina and Schwartz 2003;Gowen and Miall 2006;Coen-Cagli et al 2009;Tchalenko and Chris Miall 2009), and trajectory tracing (Gowen and Miall 2006;Tramper and Gielen 2011). Other more complex tasks or applications that combine sequential movements have also attracted growing research interests, such as object manipulation (Johansson et al 2001;Bowman et al 2009) and virtual laparoscopic surgery (Yamaguchi et al 2007).…”

The relative timing between eye and hand in rapid sequential pointing is affected by time pressure, but not by advance knowledge

“…For example, gaze shifts towards a target or smooth pursuit eye movements are facilitated when accompanied by similar movement of the arm (i.e. pointing at or manually tracking the target), resulting in shorter saccadic latency at onset (Epelboim et al 1997;Lünenburger et al 2000) and increased maximum velocity and gain of smooth pursuit (Gauthier et al 1988;Steinbach 1969;Vercher et al 1995). In a similar vein, efference copy from movement of the eyes has been shown to provide essential information relating to direction and amplitude, which enables arm movement to be initiated in the absence of foveal feedback.…”