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

Warning signals influence motor processing.

Jillian H Fecteau1, Douglas P Munoz

  • 1Center for Neuroscience Studies, Canadian Institute of Health Research Group in Sensory-Motor Systems, Department of Physiology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. j.fecteau@nin.knaw.nl

Journal of Neurophysiology
|December 1, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Warning signals in visual tasks speed up response times by enhancing neural activity. Specifically, faster accumulation of neural activity toward response threshold most closely predicted behavioral changes.

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

The Canadian multi-ethnic research on aging (CAMERA) study: Design, participant characteristics, and preliminary findings.

Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association·2026
Same author

Learning to Blink Strategically Is Crucial to Performance in a Predictable Saccade Task and Varies Across the Lifespan.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2026
Same author

Biomarkers.

Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association·2026
Same author

Biomarkers.

Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association·2025
Same author

Public Health.

Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association·2025
Same author

Objective speech measures capture depressive symptoms and associated cognitive difficulties.

Translational psychiatry·2025

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Warning signals preceding visual targets shorten response times.
  • This effect may stem from sensory or motor neural changes.
  • Four potential neural mechanisms are considered: faster target registration, enhanced signal magnitude, lowered response threshold, or faster activity accumulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying warning signal effects in visuomotor tasks.
  • To determine whether sensory or motor neural changes best explain behavioral speeding.

Main Methods:

  • Monkeys performed a cue-target task while neural activity in the superior colliculus was recorded.
  • Non-specific warning effects were induced by a central reorienting cue and the cue stimulus itself.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Neural activity, target response, saccade initiation threshold, and activity accumulation rates were analyzed.

    • Main Results:

    • Warning effects correlated with enhanced target-related neural responses.
    • A lowered threshold for saccade initiation was observed.
    • The rate of neural activity accumulation toward threshold increased.
    • Activity accumulation rate was the strongest predictor of behavioral performance.

    Conclusions:

    • Neural activity accumulation toward threshold is a key mechanism for warning signal effects.
    • These findings refine theories of warning signals and attention.
    • Further research can explore implications and limitations for future studies.