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Published on: March 18, 2019
The Saccadic Re-Centering Bias is Associated with Activity Changes in the Human Superior Colliculus
Ruth M Krebs1, Mircea A Schoenfeld, Carsten N Boehler
1Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University Durham, NC, USA.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|November 25, 2010
Summary
The brain prioritizes returning gaze to the primary position. Neural activity in the superior colliculus decreases for re-centering saccades, suggesting a subcortical bias for efficient visual exploration.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Effective visual exploration is crucial for navigating the environment.
- The straight-ahead gaze (primary position) may hold a special role in visual processing.
- Understanding neural mechanisms of gaze control is fundamental to visual perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neural activity modulation during saccades relative to the primary gaze position.
- To differentiate subcortical and cortical contributions to gaze re-centering.
- To explore the functional significance of a potential bias towards the primary position.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in human participants.
- Endogenous cueing paradigm to manipulate saccade direction and starting position.
- Systematic matching of saccade amplitude, predictability, and starting position for centripetal and centrifugal movements.
Main Results:
- fMRI activity in the superior colliculus (SC), frontal eye fields, and intraparietal sulcus was enhanced contralateral to saccade direction.
- The SC showed decreased activity during re-centering saccades compared to centrifugal saccades.
- Cortical eye fields did not show significant modulation for re-centering saccades, unlike the SC.
Conclusions:
- A subcortical processing stage, likely within the superior colliculus, predominantly implements a bias for returning gaze to the primary position.
- This re-centering bias may facilitate efficient visual exploration by aligning reference frames.
- Neural modulation in the SC, but not cortical eye fields, suggests a specific subcortical role in gaze control towards the default position.
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