The dynamics of microsaccade amplitude reflect shifting of covert attention

Lv, Xinyu; Su-ping, Cheng; Wang, Zhiguo; Jia, Jianrong

doi:10.1016/j.concog.2022.103322

Cited by 6 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Although our results call into question the use of microsaccade direction as a generalizable, overt measure of covert attention, there are other features of microsaccades that may be used as biomarkers for cognitive states or neurological disease. For example, microsaccade amplitude may relate to covert attention ( 37 ). Additionally, microsaccade rate may prove a more useful parameter to reveal cognitive fluctuations in internal state ( 38 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microsaccades are directed toward the midpoint between targets in a variably cued attention task

Willett

Mayo

2023

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Reliable, noninvasive biomarkers that reveal the internal state of a subject are an invaluable tool for neurological diagnoses. Small fixational eye movements, called microsaccades, are a candidate biomarker thought to reflect a subject's focus of attention [Z. M. Hafed, J. J. Clark, VisionRes. 42 , 2533–2545 (2002); R. Engbert, R. Kliegl, VisionRes. 43 , 1035–1045 (2003)]. The linkage between the direction of microsaccades and attention has mainly been demonstrated using explicit and unambiguous attentional cues. However, the natural world is seldom predictable and rarely provides unambiguous information. Thus, a useful biomarker must be robust to such changes in environmental statistics. To determine how well microsaccades reveal visual-spatial attention across behavioral contexts, we analyzed these fixational eye movements in monkeys performing a conventional change detection task. The task included two stimulus locations and variable cue validities across blocks of trials. Subjects were adept at the task, showing precise and graded modulations of visual attention for subtle target changes and performing better and faster when the cue was more reliable [J. P. Mayo, J. H. R. Maunsell, J. Neurosci. 36 , 5353 (2016)]. However, over tens of thousands of microsaccades, we found no difference in microsaccade direction between cued locations when cue variability was high nor between hit and miss trials. Instead, microsaccades were made toward the midpoint of the two target locations, not toward individual targets. Our results suggest that the direction of microsaccades should be interpreted with caution and may not be a reliable measure of covert spatial attention in more complex viewing conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microsaccades are directed toward the midpoint between targets in a variably cued attention task

Willett

Mayo

2023

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…For the 100% cue-validity experiment, the cueing effect of the microsaccade rate was negative after cue presentation (Fig. 2A), replicating the classic microsaccadic IOR effect (Laubrock et al, 2005;Lv et al, 2022). Critically, the cueing effect of the microsaccade rate was not significantly different between the two groups of participants with high and low aperiodic exponents.…”

Section: The Aperiodic Exponent Of the Resting Pupil Fluctuations Cor...mentioning

confidence: 68%

“…Attentional effects elicited by exogenous cues are reflected by dynamic changes in the microsaccade rate (Laubrock et al, 2005; Lv et al, 2022). The microsaccade after the presentation of an exogenous cue is oriented more in the opposite direction of the cue, reflecting a microsaccadic inhibition of return (IOR).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aperiodic pupil fluctuations at rest predict orienting of visual attention

Wang,

Jia

2024

Preprint

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The aperiodic exponent of neural signals in different modalities is associated with the excitation/inhibition balance of the neural system. Given that resting pupil fluctuations contain rich temporal dynamics, we hypothesized that the aperiodic exponent of pupil fluctuations could predict the neural excitation/inhibition balance in attentional processing. The present study was the first attempt to investigate the cognitive significance of the aperiodic exponent of pupil responses. We recorded participants' resting pupil fluctuations and measured their visual attention with a Posner cueing task. Significant correlations were found between the aperiodic exponent of pupil fluctuations and microsaccadic and behavioral responses when stimulus uncertainty was high and thus required a neural excitation/inhibition balance. Furthermore, an independent analysis showed that the aperiodic exponent of pupil fluctuations was predictive of an individual's ADHD symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity, suggesting its potential to reflect an individual's trait of attentional processing. These findings highlight the rich information contained in pupil fluctuations and open a new avenue for accessing the neural excitation/inhibition balance in cognitive processing.

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“…Although our results call into question the use of microsaccade direction as a generalizable, overt measure of covert attention, there are other features of microsaccades that may be used as biomarkers for cognitive states or neurological disease. For example, microsaccade amplitude may relate to covert attention (32). Additionally, microsaccade rate may prove a more useful parameter to reveal cognitive fluctuations in internal state (33).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microsaccades are directed towards the midpoint between targets in a variably cued attention task

Willett

Mayo

2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reliable, non-invasive biomarkers that reveal the internal state of a subject are an invaluable tool for neurological diagnoses. Small fixational eye movements, called microsaccades, are a candidate biomarker thought to reflect a subject's focus of attention (1, 2). The linkage between the direction of microsaccades and attention has mainly been demonstrated using explicit and unambiguous attentional cues. However, the natural world is seldom predictable and rarely provides unambiguous information. Thus, a useful biomarker must be robust to such changes in environmental statistics. To determine how well microsaccades reveal visual-spatial attention across behavioral contexts, we analyzed these fixational eye movements in monkeys performing a conventional change detection task. The task included two stimulus locations and variable cue validities across blocks of trials. Subjects were adept at the task, showing precise and graded modulations of visual attention for subtle target changes and performing better and faster when the cue was more reliable (3). However, over tens of thousands of microsaccades, we found no difference in microsaccade direction between cued locations when cue variability was high nor between hit and miss trials. Instead, microsaccades were made towards the midpoint of the two target locations, not towards individual targets. Our results suggest that the direction of microsaccades should be interpreted with caution and may not be a reliable measure of covert spatial attention in more complex viewing conditions.

show abstract

The dynamics of microsaccade amplitude reflect shifting of covert attention

Cited by 6 publications

References 62 publications

Microsaccades are directed toward the midpoint between targets in a variably cued attention task

Microsaccades are directed toward the midpoint between targets in a variably cued attention task

Aperiodic pupil fluctuations at rest predict orienting of visual attention

Microsaccades are directed towards the midpoint between targets in a variably cued attention task

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