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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 7, 2025

Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation

Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation

Published on: November 26, 2019

Task-irrelevant stimuli reliably boost phasic pupil-linked arousal but do not affect decision formation.

J Hebisch¹, A-C Ghassemieh², E Zhecheva³

¹Section Computational Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. j.hebisch@uke.de.

Scientific Reports

|November 17, 2024

Summary

Task-irrelevant sounds do not influence cognitive decisions, despite causing pupil dilation. This suggests distinct neural pathways control arousal responses during tasks versus external stimuli.

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Last Updated: Jun 7, 2025

Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation

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Published on: November 26, 2019

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Author Spotlight: Exploring the Link Between Time Perception of Visual Stimuli and Reading Skills

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Published on: January 19, 2024

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Psychology

Background:

The brainstem's arousal systems, particularly the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system, exhibit phasic activity during decision-making.
These central arousal transients correlate with pupil dilations and are implicated in reducing bias in challenging perceptual decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if non-invasive auditory stimuli can manipulate central arousal and influence cognitive performance.
To determine if sound-evoked pupil responses mimic those associated with cognitive task engagement.

Main Methods:

Participants performed challenging visual decisions while task-irrelevant auditory stimuli were presented at varying onset latencies or durations.
Pupil responses were monitored to assess the impact of auditory stimuli on task-evoked arousal.
Behavioral performance, specifically decision bias, was analyzed in relation to pupil responses.

Main Results:

Task-irrelevant sounds reliably elicited pupil responses that superimposed on task-evoked responses.
A negative correlation between task-evoked pupil responses and decision bias was replicated.
However, the auditory stimuli did not produce any significant behavioral effects on decision-making.

Conclusions:

The study found a dissociation between pupil responses evoked by cognitive tasks and those evoked by external auditory stimuli.
This suggests that task-irrelevant sounds and cognitive engagement may activate distinct neural systems involved in pupil control.
Non-invasive auditory stimulation is not an effective method for manipulating central arousal to influence cognitive decisions.