Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The parallel programming of voluntary and reflexive saccades.

Robin Walker1, Eugene McSorley

  • 1Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK. robin.walker@rhul.ac.uk

Vision Research
|February 14, 2006
PubMed
Summary

This study reveals that voluntary and reflexive saccades can be programmed simultaneously. The programming of voluntary eye movements (saccades) is influenced by the direction of subsequent reflexive saccades.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Charles Bonnet Syndrome: associations between psychosocial measures and visual hallucination characteristics in the visually impaired.

BMJ open ophthalmology·2026
Same author

Viewing of abstract art follows a gist to survey gaze pattern over time regardless of broad categorical titles.

PloS one·2025
Same author

From research to action: recommendations for Charles Bonnet syndrome care and policy.

BMJ open ophthalmology·2025
Same author

Are depression, anxiety and loneliness associated with visual hallucinations in younger adults with Charles Bonnet syndrome?

Therapeutic advances in ophthalmology·2024
Same author

Automated extraction of weight, height, and obesity in electronic medical records are highly valid.

Obesity science & practice·2024
Same author

A comparison of reading, in people with simulated and actual central vision loss, with static text, horizontally scrolling text, and rapid serial visual presentation.

Journal of vision·2021

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Ophthalmology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Investigating the neural mechanisms underlying eye movement control.
  • Understanding the interplay between automatic (reflexive) and controlled (voluntary) actions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the parallel programming of reflexive and voluntary saccades using a novel two-step paradigm.
  • To determine how the programming of one saccade type influences the other.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a novel two-step paradigm to elicit consecutive reflexive and voluntary saccades.
  • Compared saccade latencies in two-step conditions versus single-step control trials.
  • Manipulated the direction of the second saccade relative to the first.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Voluntary saccade latency was significantly reduced in two-step trials compared to controls.
  • Reflexive saccade latency was modulated by the requirement for a second saccade (same vs. opposite direction).
  • Demonstrated parallel programming of a second reflexive saccade with a first voluntary saccade.

Conclusions:

  • Voluntary and reflexive saccades can be programmed in parallel.
  • A common motor map likely underlies the programming of both saccade types.
  • The findings provide insights into the flexible control of eye movements.