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The temporal dynamics of the distractor in the global effect
Woo Young Choi1,2, Jayalakshmi Viswanathan2, Jason J S Barton3
1Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Experimental Brain Research
|April 18, 2016
Summary
The global effect, which shifts saccades toward distractors, requires recent distractor onset and persistence. Distractor influence on saccadic eye movements rapidly decays within 300 milliseconds.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Oculomotor research
- Cognitive psychology
Background:
- The global effect describes saccadic eye movement displacement towards distractors near targets.
- This phenomenon is hypothesized to involve spatial averaging in the superior colliculus.
- The temporal dynamics of the global effect remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temporal dynamics of the global effect in saccadic eye movements.
- To determine the influence of distractor timing and persistence on saccadic responses.
- To elucidate the conditions under which distractors affect saccadic latency and endpoint.
Main Methods:
- Twelve subjects performed horizontal saccades to a visual target.
- Distractors were presented either simultaneously with the target or preceded it by 100-800 ms.
- Distractors were either flashed briefly (100 ms) or remained visible until response.
Main Results:
- Both flashed and persistent distractors decreased saccadic latency when presented before the target.
- Saccadic endpoint displacement (global effect) occurred with simultaneous flashed distractors.
- Persistent distractors elicited the global effect at simultaneous presentation and short (100 ms) intervals, but not longer ones.
- Distractor-related neural activity appears to decay within 300 ms.
Conclusions:
- The global effect necessitates both recent distractor onset and stimulus persistence.
- Temporal factors significantly modulate the global effect's influence on saccadic behavior.
- Rapid decay of distractor representation underlies the transient nature of the global effect.
