Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

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

Fixational eye movements: Implications for applied and clinical assessments.

Handbook of clinical neurology·2026

Same author

Assessing the role of magician patter on deception in the Three-Card Monte.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

OpenIrisDPI: An open-source digital dual Purkinje image eye tracker for visual neuroscience.

Journal of neuroscience methods·2026

Same author

Horizontal saccade bias results from combination of saliency anisotropies and egocentric biases.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

A discontinuity in motion perception during fixational drift.

Journal of vision·2026

Same author

OpenIrisDPI: An Open-Source Digital Dual Purkinje Image Eye Tracker for Visual Neuroscience.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same journal

The Brain Response to Reflectional Symmetry Is Not Uniquely Preattentive.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026

Same journal

The Design of Music Rhythm-Based Optical-Magnetic Stimulator and Its Study on LTP/LTD in the CA1 Region of the Hippocampus.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026

Same journal

The Inspiring Journeys of Women in Science.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026

Same journal

Gaining Insight Into the Nonfocality of Beta Oscillation Suppression Along the Sensorimotor Cortex Using Corticomuscular Coherence.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026

Same journal

Human Steering Control Under Unpredictable Disturbances.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026

Same journal

Human Single-Neuron Responses to Multi-Feature Auditory Deviants: Evidence From Medial Temporal Lobe.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 3, 2026

Evaluating Tests of Cognition using a Computerized Touch-Sensitive Tablet, Eye Tracking, and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Evaluating Tests of Cognition using a Computerized Touch-Sensitive Tablet, Eye Tracking, and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: January 30, 2026

Task difficulty in mental arithmetic affects microsaccadic rates and magnitudes.

Eva Siegenthaler¹, Francisco M Costela, Michael B McCamy

¹Department of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA.

The European Journal of Neuroscience

|January 21, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Task difficulty impacts involuntary eye movements called microsaccades. Increased difficulty reduces microsaccade rate but increases their size, suggesting attention

Keywords:

attention fixational eye movements microsaccades task load

More Related Videos

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Published on: April 11, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 3, 2026

Evaluating Tests of Cognition using a Computerized Touch-Sensitive Tablet, Eye Tracking, and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Evaluating Tests of Cognition using a Computerized Touch-Sensitive Tablet, Eye Tracking, and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: January 30, 2026

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Published on: April 11, 2025

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Ophthalmology

Background:

Microsaccades are small, involuntary eye movements during fixation.
Attention influences microsaccade dynamics, but task difficulty effects are unclear.
Previous studies yielded contradictory results on task difficulty and microsaccades.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate task difficulty's effect on microsaccades during non-visual tasks.
Clarify the influence of cognitive load on microsaccade production.
Isolate the impact of task difficulty from sensory modality.

Main Methods:

Participants performed a mental arithmetic task with varying difficulty levels.
Microsaccade parameters (rate, magnitude) were recorded.
Eye movements were tracked during a non-visual cognitive task.

Main Results:

Microsaccade rate decreased as task difficulty increased.
Microsaccade magnitude increased with higher task difficulty.
Task difficulty modulated microsaccade dynamics in a non-visual context.

Conclusions:

Task difficulty significantly alters microsaccade characteristics.
Findings suggest attentional modulation of the superior colliculus underlies these changes.
Cognitive load influences oculomotor control independent of visual input.