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Does attention affect the motor programs of pharmacologically induced eye movements?
1Istituto di Fisiologia, Universitá di Trieste, Italy.
The International Journal of Neuroscience
|August 1, 1990
Summary
Attention significantly impacts eye movements. New stimuli halt ketamine-induced nystagmus, triggering saccades, suggesting attention can initiate new motor programs overriding existing ones.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Oculomotor Function
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Attention is crucial for controlling eye movements.
- Ketamine administration can induce specific oculomotor responses like nystagmus.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how attentional stimuli affect ketamine-induced eye movements.
- To understand the neural mechanisms underlying attention's influence on oculomotor control.
Main Methods:
- Experiments conducted on three monkeys.
- Intramuscular ketamine injection to induce nystagmus.
- Introduction of novel visual stimuli to observe effects on eye movements.
Main Results:
- Ketamine-induced nystagmus was suppressed by new visual stimuli.
- Monkeys executed saccades towards the novel stimuli.
- Attentional engagement appears to trigger new motor programs that override existing oculomotor activity.
Conclusions:
- Attentional processes dynamically alter oculomotor control.
- Visual stimuli engaging attention can initiate new motor programs, overwriting induced activity.
- This highlights the significant role of attention in shaping behavioral responses and motor commands.