Presaccadic suppression is reduced for antisaccades

Visual sensitivity is reduced immediately before and during saccadic eye movements, but the mechanisms underlying this suppression are not fully understood. One influential account proposes that an extraretinal signal associated with saccade preparation, such as a corollary discharge, contributes to suppression by actively modulating visual processing. If so, suppression should depend on not only saccade kinematics but also the neural processes underlying movement planning. We tested this prediction using the antisaccade task, in which preparatory activity in superior collicular neurons has been shown to differ reliably from that preceding prosaccades. Participants executed pro- or antisaccades while contrast sensitivity was measured using horizontal gratings briefly presented in the upper or lower visual field. Gratings were presented at varying times relative to saccade onset, allowing characterization of the time course of saccadic suppression. Robust perisaccadic elevation of contrast thresholds was observed for both saccade types. However, suppression in the 50 ms before saccade onset was significantly reduced for antisaccades relative to prosaccades. This effect was consistent across two timing protocols and was not explained by differences in saccade amplitude, peak velocity, or direction relative to horizontal. Our findings demonstrate that the temporal dynamics of saccadic suppression depend on the type of saccade being prepared, supporting the view that active motor preparatory signals contribute to the initiation of perceptual suppression.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Despite having similar kinematics, pro- and antisaccades differ in their preparatory control demands and associated neural activity. We show that differences between saccade types extend to their impact on visual processing-suppression in the 50 ms before movement is reduced during antisaccades compared with prosaccades. This finding indicates that motor planning context influences the strength of perisaccadic perceptual suppression.