Working memory in action: Transsaccadic working memory deficits in the left visual field and after transcallosal...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Visual Perception
• Human Memory

Background:

• Saccadic eye movements are essential for vision, necessitating transsaccadic working memory (tWM) to maintain a coherent visual world.
• Previous research on tWM has yielded debates regarding visual field and saccade direction differences, often using low memory loads.
• Higher memory loads may reveal subtle spatial differences in tWM not apparent in prior studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate potential differences in transsaccadic working memory (tWM) for the left versus right visual field.
• To examine the impact of saccade direction (horizontal and vertical) on tWM performance under higher memory loads.
• To identify distinct components underlying tWM and their relationship to visual field and saccade direction.

Main Methods:

• A novel task was designed to probe spatial memory load across the left and right visual fields during horizontal and vertical saccades.
• Performance was measured using precision and accuracy metrics.
• Principal component analysis was applied to identify underlying factors influencing tWM performance.

Main Results:

• Principal component analysis revealed two key components of tWM performance.
• Component 1 (precision) showed greater error in the left visual field compared to the right.
• Component 2 (accuracy) indicated a disadvantage following rightward saccades, and both components worsened when saccades shifted representations between visual fields.

Conclusions:

• Transsaccadic working memory (tWM) is multi-component, reflecting both capacity and strategic processes.
• Reduced left visual field capacity aligns with known hemispheric visual field representation.
• Difficulties in inter-hemispheric remapping and the impact of rightward saccades suggest limitations in information transfer and attention shifts.