Widespread Suppression of High-Order Visual Cortex During Blinks and External Predictable Visual Interruptions

Abstract

Spontaneous eye blinks generate frequent potent interruptions to the retinal input and yet go unnoticed. As such, they provide an attractive approach to the study of the neural correlates of visual awareness. Here, we tested the potential role of predictability in generating blink-related effects using fMRI. While participants attentively watched still images of faces and houses, we monitored naturally occurring spontaneous blinks and introduced three kinds of matched visual interruptions: cued voluntary blinks, self-initiated (and hence, predictable) external darkenings, and physically similar but unpredictable external darkenings. These events' impact was inspected using fMRI across the visual hierarchy. In early visual cortex, both spontaneous and voluntary blinks, as well as predictable and unpredictable external darkenings, led to largely similar positive responses in peripheral representations. In mid-and high-level visual cortex, all predictable conditions (spontaneous blinks, voluntary blinks, and self-initiated external darkenings) were associated with signal decreases. In contrast, unpredictable darkenings were associated with signal increases. These findings suggest that general-purpose prediction-related mechanisms are involved in producing a small but widespread suppression of mid-and high-order visual regions during blinks. Such suppression may down-regulate responses to predictable transients in the human visual hierarchy.

The Role of Blinks, Microsaccades and their Retinal Consequences in Bistable Motion Perception

“…A difference between the two is also found on a neural level. A higher activity in several visual areas have been reported for blanks, but not blinks Martin, 2000, 2002;Golan et al, 2018), and blinks (both voluntary and spontaneous) along with self-initiated blanks are associated with a decrease in activity in higher visual areas, whereas unpredictable external darkening causes an increase in higher-level areas (Golan et al, 2018). A difference in perceptual consequence following a blink vs. a blank is, therefore, not surprising.…”

“…With regard to the first question, one should bear in mind that even though blinks and blanks have a similar consequence on the retinal image, they are intrinsically different (Deubel et al, 2004;Higgins et al, 2009;Golan et al, 2018). Deubel et al (2004) found that adding a blank after a saccade can counteract the reduced detection of target displacement due to saccadic suppression, but a blink after a saccade does not have the same effect.…”

Where Does Time Go When You Blink?

“…These studies also supported a neural, rather than an optical, source of blink-related reduction in visual activity. In humans, functional MRI (fMRI) studies have provided further support for an extraretinal suppression in early visual regions during voluntary and spontaneous blinks, (Bristow, Haynes, Sylvester, Frith, & Rees, 2005; Golan, Grossman, Deouell, & Malach, 2018), and intracranial electroencephalogram recordings have revealed suppression of transient activity in the visual cortex during spontaneous and voluntary blinks (Golan et al, 2016).…”

The influence of eye movements and their retinal consequences on bistable motion perception

“…A difference between the two is also found on a neural level. A higher activity in several visual areas have been reported for blanks and not blinks (Gawne & Martin, 2000Golan et al, 2018) and blinks (both voluntary and spontaneous) along with self-initiated blanks are associated with a decrease in activity in higher visual areas; whereas unpredictable external darkening cause an increase in higher level areas (Golan et al, 2018). A difference in perceptual consequence following a blink vs a blank is therefore not surprising.…”

“…With regard to the first question, one should bear in mind that even though blinks and blanks have a similar consequence on the retinal image, they are intrinsically different (Deubel et al, 2004;Golan et al, 2018;Higgins et al, 2009). Deubel et al (2004) found that adding a blank after a saccade can counteract the reduced detection of target displacement due to saccadic suppression, but a blink after a saccade does not have the same effect.…”