Related Experiment Videos
Gaze-centered remapping of remembered visual space in an open-loop pointing task
D Y Henriques1, E M Klier, M A Smith
1Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3J 1P3.
Summary
Visuospatial representation relies on an oculocentric frame, where visual memory traces are remapped during eye movements. This study found pointing errors consistent with remapping, not head-centric models, suggesting a "conversion-on-demand" visuomotor control system.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Visuomotor Control
Background:
- Maintaining a stable internal reference frame for visuospatial representation is crucial for perception and motor control.
- Two models exist: head-centric (stable frame) and oculocentric (remapped visual memory traces).
Purpose of the Study:
- To test whether visuospatial representation relies on a head-centric or oculocentric frame during eye movements.
- To investigate the mechanisms of visual memory remapping and their impact on pointing accuracy.
Main Methods:
- Manual pointing errors were measured in darkness towards briefly flashed targets under three oculomotor conditions: control (gaze maintained), static (fixating periphery), and dynamic (foveate target, then saccade peripherally).
Main Results:
- Pointing errors in the dynamic paradigm were significantly larger than control errors and indistinguishable from static paradigm errors.
- Error patterns strongly supported an oculocentric model, indicating visual memory traces are internally shifted (remapped) with eye movements.
- Results confirmed errors stemmed from retinotopically shifted memory traces, not eye position itself.
Conclusions:
- The findings contradict a purely head-centric reference frame and support an oculocentric model where visual memory is actively remapped.
- A 'conversion-on-demand' model is proposed: targets are stored and rotated in an oculocentric frame, with selective transformation to head- or body-centric frames for motor execution.