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Updated: May 28, 2026
06:46
Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity
Published on: March 18, 2019
Antisaccades generate two types of saccadic inhibition
Mathias Abegg1, Nishant Sharma, Jason J S Barton
1University Eye Clinic, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Biological Psychology
|October 25, 2011
Summary
Performing an antisaccade involves suppressing a reflexive prosaccade. This study reveals both transient global and sustained focal inhibition related to antisaccade eye movements.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Antisaccade tasks require inhibiting a direct gaze response (prosaccade) to a stimulus.
- The spatial specificity of this inhibitory mechanism remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the inhibition following an antisaccade is diffuse or specific to the saccade's location.
- To characterize the temporal dynamics of antisaccade-related inhibition.
Main Methods:
- A behavioral paradigm was employed to examine inter-trial carry-over effects.
- Participants (n=12) performed sequences of antisaccades followed by prosaccades to various locations.
- Reaction times for prosaccades were measured after antisaccade blocks.
Main Results:
- A transient global inhibition was observed, delaying all prosaccades in the first trial post-antisaccade.
- A sustained focal inhibition specifically delayed prosaccades directed towards the antisaccade stimulus location, persisting for up to four trials.
- This suggests distinct inhibitory processes are involved in antisaccade execution.
Conclusions:
- Antisaccade performance involves at least two types of inhibition: a short-lived global suppression and a longer-lasting focal suppression.
- The findings support a model where inhibition is specific to the stimulus location, not just a general motor suppression.
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