Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

A behavioral link between the oculomotor and cardiovascular systems

R A Tyrrell1, J F Thayer, B H Friedman

  • 1Department of Psychology, Clemson University, SC 29634-1511, USA.

Integrative Physiological and Behavioral Science : the Official Journal of the Pavlovian Society
|January 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

This study reveals a connection between eye and heart activity, suggesting shared autonomic nervous system patterns influence both. Cardiovascular measures predict eye movements, linking autonomic control to oculomotor function.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Heart's tale of trauma: Fear-conditioned heart rate changes in post-traumatic stress disorder.

Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica·2023
Same author

Correction to: Physical exercise augmented cognitive behaviour therapy for older adults with generalised anxiety disorder (PEXACOG): a feasibility study for a randomized controlled trial.

BioPsychoSocial medicine·2023
Same author

Physical exercise augmented cognitive behaviour therapy for older adults with generalised anxiety disorder (PEXACOG): a feasibility study for a randomized controlled trial.

BioPsychoSocial medicine·2023
Same author

Fear-induced bradycardia in mental disorders: Foundations, current advances, future perspectives.

Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews·2023
Same author

Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation reduces spontaneous but not induced negative thought intrusions in high worriers.

Biological psychology·2019
Same author

Effects of Body Mass Index on Parasympathetic Nervous System Reactivity and Recovery Following Orthostatic Stress.

The journal of nutrition, health & aging·2017

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychophysiology
  • Autonomic Nervous System Research

Background:

  • The eyes (oculomotor system) and heart (cardiovascular system) are both influenced by autonomic innervation.
  • Recent advancements enable better assessment of oculomotor and cardiovascular behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the behavioral covariation between oculomotor and cardiovascular systems.
  • To explore the relationship between autonomic activation patterns and eye-heart links.

Main Methods:

  • Measured oculomotor tone using dark focus and dark vergence.
  • Assessed cardiovascular control via spectral decomposition of heart rate variability.
  • Conducted three experiments examining individual differences and within-subject variations.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Cardiovascular parameters predicted dark vergence (R2 = .806) but not dark focus (R2 = .404) in Experiment 1.
  • Heart rate correlated positively with dark vergence; panic attack and blood phobia groups showed distinct oculomotor and cardiovascular profiles in Experiment 2.
  • Oculomotor measures shifted towards nearer positions during sympathetic cardiac dominance in Experiment 3, with cardiovascular variations predicting oculomotor parameters.

Conclusions:

  • Shared patterns of autonomic activation likely underlie the observed eye-heart link.
  • Autonomic nervous system activity influences both cardiovascular control and oculomotor tone.