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Assessing the relationship between pupil diameter and visuocortical activity.
Nina N Thigpen1, Margaret M Bradley1, Andreas Keil1
1Center for the Study of Emotion & Attention, Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Pupil dilation does not cause increased visuocortical activity. This study found no relationship between pupil size changes and steady-state visually evoked potential (ssVEP) power, suggesting pupil size does not drive cognitive or affective task modulation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Visuocortical activity and pupil diameter increase during tasks requiring memory, attention, and arousal.
- It remains unclear if pupil dilation influences visuocortical activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between visuocortical activity and pupil diameter.
- To determine if pupil dilation is a causal factor in visuocortical modulation.
Main Methods:
- Measured steady-state visually evoked potential (ssVEP) power in 39 participants.
- Recorded pupil diameter changes in response to Gabor stimuli varying in brightness and driving frequency.
- Correlated single-trial measures of pupil diameter and ssVEP amplitude under constant conditions.
Main Results:
- Brighter stimuli led to pupil constriction and increased ssVEP power.
- Under constant luminance and frequency, pupil diameter fluctuations were not correlated with ssVEP amplitude.
- No relationship was found between pupil size and ssVEP amplitude across tested conditions.
Conclusions:
- Pupil dilation does not systematically cause subsequent changes in visuocortical activity.
- Pupil size is not a sufficient cause for visuocortical modulation during cognitive or affective tasks.
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