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Updated: Jul 6, 2026
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Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity
Published on: March 18, 2019
Connectivity modulation of early visual processing areas during covert and overt tracking tasks.
1University of Regensburg, Germany. ferenc.acs@psychologie.uni-regensburg.de
Neuroimage
|April 5, 2008
Summary
This study reveals how brain regions interact during voluntary eye movements. Effective connectivity between V1 and hMT+ depends on attention, clarifying saccadic and smooth pursuit eye movement control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- The brain regions responsible for saccadic and smooth pursuit eye movements are established.
- However, the neural interactions between these areas during voluntary eye movements remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamic cortical interactions during voluntary saccadic and smooth pursuit eye movements.
- To explore the influence of covert attention shifts on the connectivity between visual and parietal areas.
Main Methods:
- Used Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM) with a group comparison approach to analyze fMRI data from 8 subjects.
- Investigated effective connectivity between V1, hMT+, and LIP during different eye movement tasks and attention conditions.
Main Results:
- Found that effective connectivity from V1 to hMT+ is modulated by whether attention is directed covertly or overtly to targets.
- Observed effects consistent with current theories of eye movement control when comparing active tracking tasks.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated that attention plays a crucial role in modulating effective connectivity within the eye movement control network.
- Provided new insights into the interaction dynamics between saccadic and smooth pursuit processing areas in the human brain.
