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Differentiating between reflex and spontaneous blinks using simultaneous recording of the orbicularis oculi
Jean-Guido Gehricke1, Edward M Ornitz, Prabha Siddarth
1Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, 3340 Social Ecology II, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. jgehrick@uci.edu
Abstract:
The present study documents the differences between reflex and spontaneous blinks by recording the vertical electro-oculogram (EOG) along with the orbicularis oculi electromyogram (OO-EMG). EOG and OO-EMG were applied without fixation of the head in 15 freely moving children during an auditory startle experiment. Results revealed that the easily-recorded EOG shows the same relationships between orbicularis oculi contraction and velocity of lid movement in startle blinks as the head-constraining methods, e.g. the magnetic search coil, used in previous studies. The OO-EMG onset occurred before the EOG onset in most reflex blinks while no such pattern occurred for spontaneous blinks. In comparison with spontaneous blinks, reflex blinks showed a shorter duration between onset and peak and between onset and offset in OO-EMG and EOG. In addition, reflex blinks showed greater OO-EMG activity and smaller EOG-recorded lid movements compared with spontaneous blinks. Simultaneous recording of OO-EMG and EOG can distinguish reflex from spontaneous blinks and lid saccades in populations, e.g. children, that cannot tolerate head restraint and in experiments permitting or requiring movement.