The influence of fixational eye movements on the response 
of neurons in area MT of the macaque

Bair, Wyeth; O’Keefe, Lawrence P.

doi:10.1017/s0952523898154160

Cited by 166 publications

(148 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Microsaccades occurred with an average rate of more than two times per second, consistent with previous reports (Bair and O'Keefe, 1998;Martinez-Conde et al, 2000Engbert and Mergenthaler, 2006). A recent study demonstrated that MSs in human subjects occur with a distinct temporal structure (OteroMillan et al, 2008).…”

Section: Identification and Temporal Distribution Of Microsaccadessupporting

confidence: 77%

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A Microsaccadic Rhythm Modulates Gamma-Band Synchronization and Behavior

Bosman

Womelsdorf²,

Desimone³

et al. 2009

J. Neurosci.

211

260

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Rhythms occur both in neuronal activity and in behavior. Behavioral rhythms abound at frequencies at or below 10 Hz. Neuronal rhythms cover a very wide frequency range, and the phase of neuronal low-frequency rhythms often rhythmically modulates the strength of higher-frequency rhythms, particularly of gamma-band synchronization (GBS). Here, we study stimulus-induced GBS in awake monkey areas V1 and V4 in relation to a specific form of spontaneous behavior, namely microsaccades (MSs), small fixational eye movements. We found that MSs occur rhythmically at a frequency of ϳ3.3 Hz. The rhythmic MSs were predicted by the phase of the 3.3 Hz rhythm in V1 and V4 local field potentials. In turn, the MSs modulated both visually induced GBS and the speed of visually triggered behavioral responses. Fast/slow responses were preceded by a specific temporal pattern of MSs. These MS patterns induced perturbations in GBS that in turn explained variability in behavioral response speed. We hypothesize that the 3.3 Hz rhythm structures the sampling and exploration of the environment through building and breaking neuronal ensembles synchronized in the gamma-frequency band to process sensory stimuli.

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Section: Identification and Temporal Distribution Of Microsaccadessupporting

confidence: 77%

“…We confirmed a linear relation between both parameters (Fig. 1 B) (r ϭ 0.812, p Ͻ 0.01, t ϭ 382) (Zuber and Stark, 1965;Bair and O'Keefe, 1998;Martinez-Conde et al, 2000, 2006Hafed et al, 2009).…”

Section: Identification and Temporal Distribution Of Microsaccadessupporting

confidence: 69%

A Microsaccadic Rhythm Modulates Gamma-Band Synchronization and Behavior

Bosman

Womelsdorf²,

Desimone³

et al. 2009

J. Neurosci.

211

260

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is larger than in most studies, although there is also considerable variability between the average microsaccade amplitudes described in past reports, which include 0.8° (Bair and O'Keefe, 1998) (Ko et al, 2010;Poletti and Rucci, 2010), and 0.23° ( Hafed et al, 2009).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 39%

Microsaccade Control Signals in the Cerebellum

et al. 2015

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Microsaccades, the small saccades made when we try to keep the eyes still, were once believed to be inconsequential for vision, but recent studies suggest that they can precisely relocate gaze to tiny visual targets. Because the cerebellum is necessary for motor precision, we investigated whether microsaccades may exploit this neural machinery in monkeys. Almost all vermal Purkinje cells, which provide the eye-related output of the cerebellar cortex, were found to increase or decrease their simple spike firing rate during microsaccades. At both the single-cell and population level, microsaccade-related activity was highly similar to macrosaccade-related activity and we observed a continuous representation of saccade amplitude that spanned both the macrosaccade and microsaccade domains. Our results suggest that the cerebellum's role in fine-tuning eye movements extends even to the oculomotor system's smallest saccades and add to a growing list of observations that call into question the classical categorical distinction between microsaccades and macrosaccades.

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“…On the one hand, microsaccades modulate spiking activity in the visual cortex (Bair and O'Keefe 1998;Leopold and Logothetis 1998;Martinez-Conde et al 2000, 2002Snodderly et al 2001;Martinez-Conde et al 2004, for an overview).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shortening and prolongation of saccade latencies following microsaccades

2005

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When the eyes fixate at a point in a visual scene, small saccades rapidly shift the image on the retina. The effect of these microsaccades on the latency of subsequent large-scale saccades may be twofold. First, microsaccades are associated with an enhancement of visual perception.Their occurrence during saccade target perception should, thus, decrease saccade latencies. On the other hand, microsaccades likely indicate activity in fixation-related oculomotor neurons. These represent competitors to saccade-related cells in the interplay of gaze holding and shifting.Consequently, an increase in saccade latencies after microsaccades would be expected. Here, we present evidence for both aspects of microsaccadic impact on saccade latency. In a delayed response task, participants made saccades to visible or memorized targets. First, microsaccade occurrence up to 50 ms before target disappearance correlated with 18 ms (or 8%) faster saccades to memorized targets. Second, if microsaccades occurred shortly (i.e., < 150 ms) before a saccade was required, saccadic reaction times in visual and memory trials were increased by about 40 ms (or 16%). Hence, microsaccades can have opposite consequences for saccade latencies, pointing at a differential role of these fixational eye movements in preparation of motor programs.

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The influence of fixational eye movements on the response of neurons in area MT of the macaque

Cited by 166 publications

References 38 publications

A Microsaccadic Rhythm Modulates Gamma-Band Synchronization and Behavior

A Microsaccadic Rhythm Modulates Gamma-Band Synchronization and Behavior

Microsaccade Control Signals in the Cerebellum

Shortening and prolongation of saccade latencies following microsaccades

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