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Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity
Published on: March 18, 2019
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Change in sensitivity to visual error in superior colliculus during saccade adaptation.
Yoshiko Kojima1, Robijanto Soetedjo2
1Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, Washington, 98195-7330, USA. ykojima@u.washington.edu.
Scientific Reports
|August 31, 2017
Summary
Saccade adaptation, a form of motor learning, involves decreasing error sensitivity. This study shows that visual activity in the superior colliculus (SC) decreases during adaptation, suggesting its role in controlling this learning process.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Saccadic eye movements are crucial for visual exploration and are a key model for studying motor learning.
- Saccade adaptation is a process where the brain adjusts eye movements in response to errors, typically slowing down as adaptation progresses.
- The superior colliculus (SC) has been implicated in sending error signals that drive saccade adaptation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the error signal originating from the superior colliculus (SC) is linked to the diminishing error sensitivity observed during saccade adaptation.
- To determine if neuronal activity in the SC, specifically visual responses to error, changes as adaptation occurs.
Main Methods:
- The study monitored the visual activity of SC neurons in subjects undergoing saccade adaptation.
- A consistent visual error was introduced to induce adaptation while recording neuronal responses.
- Changes in SC neuronal visual activity were analyzed in relation to the progression of saccade adaptation.
Main Results:
- Visual activity in SC neurons, elicited by a constant visual error, was found to decrease during the process of saccade adaptation.
- This reduction in sensitivity to visual error was independent of changes in the primary saccade amplitude.
- The observed decrease in SC neuronal visual activity suggests a modulation of error processing during adaptation.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that the superior colliculus (SC) plays a role in regulating saccade adaptation by modulating its sensitivity to visual error.
- The reduction in visual sensitivity of SC neurons may contribute to the decreasing error sensitivity seen as adaptation progresses.
- This mechanism could be vital for controlling the saccade adaptation process effectively.
