Journal article

Publication year: 2008

Pages: 1211-1216

Journal: Nature Neuroscience

Volume number: 11

Issue number: 10

ISSN: 1097-6256

eISSN: 1546-1726

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2194

Publisher: Nature Research

Abstract: 
When we view the world around us, we constantly move our eyes. This brings objects of interest into the fovea and keeps them there, but visual sensitivity has been shown to deteriorate while the eyes are moving. Here we show that human sensitivity for some visual stimuli is improved during smooth pursuit eye movements. Detection thresholds for briefly flashed, colored stimuli were 16% lower during pursuit than during fixation. Similarly, detection thresholds for luminance-defined stimuli of high spatial frequency were lowered. These findings suggest that the pursuit-induced sensitivity increase may have its neuronal origin in the parvocellular retino-thalamic system. This implies that the visual system not only uses feedback connections to improve processing for locations and objects being attended to, but that a whole processing subsystem can be boosted. During pursuit, facilitation of the parvocellular system may reduce motion blur for stationary objects and increase sensitivity to speed changes of the tracked object.

Harvard Citation style: Schütz, A., Braun, D., Kerzel, D. and Gegenfurtner, K. (2008) Improved visual sensitivity during smooth pursuit eye movements, Nature Neuroscience, 11(10), pp. 1211-1216. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2194

APA Citation style: Schütz, A., Braun, D., Kerzel, D., & Gegenfurtner, K. (2008). Improved visual sensitivity during smooth pursuit eye movements. Nature Neuroscience. 11(10), 1211-1216. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2194