Journal article

Publication year: 2005

Pages: 3214-3223

Journal: Journal of Neurophysiology

Volume number: 93

Issue number: 6

ISSN: 0022-3077

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.01104.2004

Publisher: American Physiological Society

Abstract: 
It has been suggested that the remote distractor effect is the result of nontarget stimulation of a central region representing a collicular fixation zone near the time of target onset. The distributed network of the cells responsible for this effect is believed to extend over a large area, responding to distractors <= 10 deg in the periphery. Several studies also implicate the superior colliculus as the substrate behind an inhibited saccadic response arising from a display change. We investigated this further by using a patch of pink noise of various sizes as a nontarget stimulus. We show that the onset of a small patch (2.3 x 2.3 deg) of centrally displayed pink noise can produce a significant increase in saccadic latency to a simultaneously presented peripheral Gabor target. In contrast, a large patch (36 x 36 deg) of pink noise did not increase latency despite the fact that it also stimulated the region representing the fixation zone. Furthermore, only the large patch of noise facilitated latency when presented before target onset. We also examined the effect of patch sizes between these two extremes and found a steady decrease in latency as patch size increased. This confirms that nontarget stimulation of the region representing the fixation zone near the time of target onset is not in itself sufficient to produce the increase in latency typically found with remote distractors. The results are consistent with the idea that only a spatially confined object leads to a discharge of collicular fixation neurons.

Harvard Citation style: White, B., Gegenfurtner, K. and Kerzel, D. (2005) Effects of structured nontarget stimuli on saccadic latency, Journal of Neurophysiology, 93(6), pp. 3214-3223. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.01104.2004

APA Citation style: White, B., Gegenfurtner, K., & Kerzel, D. (2005). Effects of structured nontarget stimuli on saccadic latency. Journal of Neurophysiology. 93(6), 3214-3223. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.01104.2004