On the possible roles of microsaccades and drifts in visual perception

Ahissar, Ehud; Arieli, Amos; Fried, Moshe; Bonneh, Yoram

doi:10.1016/j.visres.2014.12.004

Cited by 33 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…A few studies focusing on large saccades performed during exploration tasks have examined how the durations of intervals between consecutive saccades (the intersaccadic intervals) are modulated by the type of display being explored. Some of these studies have found longer intersaccadic intervals with higher stimulus intensity (e.g., higher spatial frequency: Rayner, 1998;Ojanpaa, Nasanen, & Kojo, 2002;Ahissar, Arieli, Fried, & Bonneh, 2016); others have found the opposite (Nasanen, Ojanpaa, & Kojo, 2001;Henderson, 2003) or no effects at all (Einhäuser & König, 2003;Itti, 2005). Only one previous study has asked a similar question on microsaccades (Otero-Millan, Troncoso, Macknik, Serrano-Pedraza, & Mar-tinez- Conde, 2008), and found no evidence for an effect of display on their temporal dynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transient and sustained effects of stimulus properties on the generation of microsaccades

2019

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Saccades shift the gaze rapidly every few hundred milliseconds from one fixated location to the next, producing a flow of visual input into the visual system even in the absence of changes in the environment. During fixation, small saccades called microsaccades are produced 1-3 times per second, generating a flow of visual input. The characteristics of this visual flow are determined by the timings of the saccades and by the characteristics of the visual stimuli on which they are performed. Previous models of microsaccade generation have accounted for the effects of external stimulation on the production of microsaccades, but they have not considered the effects of the prolonged background stimulus on which microsaccades are performed. The effects of this stimulus on the process of microsaccade generation could be sustained, following its prolonged presentation, or transient, through the visual transients produced by the microsaccades themselves. In four experiments, we varied the properties of the constant displays and examined the resulting modulation of microsaccade properties: their sizes, their timings, and the correlations between properties of consecutive microsaccades. Findings show that displays of higher spatial frequency and contrast produce smaller microsaccades and longer minimal intervals between consecutive microsaccades; and smaller microsaccades are followed by smaller and delayed microsaccades. We explain these findings in light of previous models and suggest a conceptual model by which both sustained and transient effects of the stimulus have central roles in determining the generation of microsaccades.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transient and sustained effects of stimulus properties on the generation of microsaccades

2019

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“…While their exact contribution to vision is still debated 1, 2 , their direction and timing have been linked to anticipation, surprise, and attentional shifts 3–8 . Microsaccades are typically inhibited for approximately 300 ms post stimulus onset 5, 9 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microsaccades are sensitive to word structure: A novel approach to study language processing

Yablonski

Polat

Bonneh

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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Microsaccades are miniature eye movements that occur involuntarily during fixation. They are typically inhibited following stimulus onset and are released from inhibition about 300 ms post-stimulus. Microsaccade-inhibition is modulated by low level features of visual stimuli, but it is currently unknown whether they are sensitive to higher level, abstract linguistic properties. To address this question, we measured the timing of microsaccades while subjects were presented with written Hebrew words and pronounceable nonwords (pseudowords). We manipulated the underlying structure of pseudowords such that half of them contained real roots while the other half contained invented roots. Importantly, orthographic similarity to real words was equated between the two conditions. Microsaccade onset was significantly slower following real-root compared to invented-root stimuli. Similar results were obtained when considering post-stimulus delay of eye blinks. Moreover, microsaccade-delay was positively and significantly correlated with measures of real-word similarity. These findings demonstrate, for the first time, sensitivity of microsaccades to linguistic structure. Because microsaccades are involuntary and can be measured in the absence of overt response, our results provide initial evidence that they can be used as a novel physiological measure in the study of language processes in healthy and clinical populations.

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“…For instance, although the eyes move continuously (Ahissar et al, 2016), it is common to discount this motion and to consider the incoming sensory signal to be the image presented on the screen. The equivalence between external stimulus and input to the sensory processing pathway is sufficient because, to a first approximation, the eye does not change form or function as it absorbs the stimulus.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dye-enhanced visualization of rat whiskers for behavioral studies

Rigosa

Lucantonio

Noselli

et al. 2017

eLife

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Visualization and tracking of the facial whiskers is required in an increasing number of rodent studies. Although many approaches have been employed, only high-speed videography has proven adequate for measuring whisker motion and deformation during interaction with an object. However, whisker visualization and tracking is challenging for multiple reasons, primary among them the low contrast of the whisker against its background. Here, we demonstrate a fluorescent dye method suitable for visualization of one or more rat whiskers. The process makes the dyed whisker(s) easily visible against a dark background. The coloring does not influence the behavioral performance of rats trained on a vibrissal vibrotactile discrimination task, nor does it affect the whiskers’ mechanical properties.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.25290.001

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On the possible roles of microsaccades and drifts in visual perception

Cited by 33 publications

References 44 publications

Transient and sustained effects of stimulus properties on the generation of microsaccades

Transient and sustained effects of stimulus properties on the generation of microsaccades

Microsaccades are sensitive to word structure: A novel approach to study language processing

Dye-enhanced visualization of rat whiskers for behavioral studies

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