Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-gs9qr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-29T23:50:12.020Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Occurrence of express saccades under isoluminance and low contrast luminance conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

Heike Weber ,
Burkhart Fischer ,
Michael Bach  and
Franz Aiple
Heike Weber
Affiliation:
Department of Neurophysiology, University of Freiburg
Burkhart Fischer
Affiliation:
Department of Neurophysiology, University of Freiburg
Michael Bach
Affiliation:
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Freiburg
Franz Aiple
Affiliation:
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Freiburg
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Saccadic reaction times (SRTs) of three human subjects were analyzed. The gap paradigm was used (i.e. fixation point offset precedes target onset) to obtain high proportions of express saccades (i.e. saccades of extremely short reaction times) in the SRT distributions. In one set of experiments, the luminance of the (red) saccade target was varied from brighter to darker than the (green) background including an isoluminance condition. Express saccades were obtained in response to pure color contrast stimuli with about the same frequency and reaction time as to stimuli with both color and luminance contrast. In a second experiment, the luminance contrast of a white target on a white background was lowered below 10%. Again the number of express saccades was not reduced. Thus, in contrast to other perceptual phenomena the visual neural mechanisms underlying the generation of express saccades are not affected by isoluminance nor low contrast luminance.

Keywords

Reaction timeEye movementsExpress saccadesColor contrastLuminance contrastIsoluminance

Information

Type
Short Communications
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 7 , Issue 5 , November 1991 , pp. 505 - 510
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Boch, R., Fischer, B. & Ramsperger, E. (1984). Express saccades of the monkey: reaction time versus intensity, size, duration, and eccentricity of their targets. Experimental Brain Research 55, 223–231.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boch, R. (1988). Chemical lesions in V1, V2, and V3 of the rhesus monkey: effects upon express saccades. In Sense Organs. Interfaces Between Environment and Behaviour, ed. Elsner, N. & Barth, F.G., p. 279. Stuttgart, New York: Thieme Verlag.Google Scholar
Cavanagh, P., Boeglin, J. & Favreau, O.E. (1985). Perception of motion in equiluminous kinematograms. Perception 14, 151–162.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fischer, B. & Boch, R. (1983). Saccadic eye movements after extremely short reaction times in the monkey. Brain Research 260, 21–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fischer, B., Boch, R. & Ramsperoer, E. (1984). Express saccades of the monkey: effect of daily training on probability of occurrence and reaction time. Experimental Brain Research 55, 232–242.Google Scholar
Fischer, B. & Ramsperger, E. (1984). Human express saccades: extremely short reaction times of goal directed eye movements. Experimental Brain Research 57, 191–195.Google Scholar
Fischer, B. & Ramsperger, E. (1986). Human express saccades: effects of randomization and daily practice. Experimental Brain Research 64, 569–578.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oauthier, M.F. & Volle, M. (1975). Two-dimensional eye-movement monitor for clinical laboratory recordings. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology 39, 285–291.Google Scholar
Huerta, M.F. & Harting, J.K. (1984). Connectional organization of the superior colliculus. Trends in Neuroscience August 1984; 286–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaplan, E. & Shapley, R. (1986). The primate retina contains two types of ganglion cells, with high and low contrast sensitivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. 83, 2755–2757.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, B.B., Martin, P.R. & Valberg, A. (1988). The physiological basis of heterochromatic flicker photometry demonstrated in the ganglion cells of the macaque retina. Journal of Physiology 404, 232–347.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Livingstone, M.S. & Hubel, D.H. (1984a). Anatomy and physiology of a colour system in the primate visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience 4, 309–356.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Livingstone, M.S. & Hubel, D.H. (1984b). Specificity of intrinsic connections in primary visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience 4, 2830–2835.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Logothetis, N.K., Schiller, P.H., Charles, E.R. & Hurlbert, A.C. (1989). Perceptual deficits and the activity of the color-opponent and the broadband pathways at isoluminance. Science 247, 214–217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lund, J.S., Lund, R.D., Hendrickson, A.E., Bunt, A.H. & Fuchs, A.F. (1976). The origin of efferent pathways from the primary visual cortex, area 17, of the macaque monkey as shown by retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase. Journal of Comparative Neurology 164, 287–304.Google Scholar
Moschovakis, A.K., Karabelas, A.B. & Highstein, S.M. (1988a). Structure-function relationship in the primate superior colliculus, I: Morphological classification of efferent neurons. Journal of Neurophysiology 60, 232–262.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moschovakis, A.K., Karabelas, A.B. & Highstein, S.M. (1988b). Structure-function relationship in the primate superior colliculus, II: Morphological identity of presaccadic neurons. Journal of Neurophysiology 60, 263–302.Google Scholar
Parlitz, D. & Nothdurft, H.C. (1990). Does pop-out of orientation or motion produce express saccades? In Brain, Perception, Cognition, ed. Elsner, N. & Roth, G., p. 258. Stuttgart, New York: Thieme Verlag.Google Scholar
Perry, V.H., Oehler, R. & Cowey, A. (1984). Retinal ganglion cells that project to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus in the macaque monkey. Neuroscience 12, 1101–1123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perry, V.H. & Cowey, A. (1984). Retinal ganglion cells that project to the superior colliculus and pretectum in the macaque monkey. Neuroscience 12, 1125–1137.Google Scholar
Schiller, P.H., Sandell, J.H. & Maunsell, J.H.R. (1987). The effect of frontal eye field and superior colliculus lesions on saccadic latencies in the rhesus monkey. Journal of Neurophysiology 57, 1033–1049.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tolhurst, D.J. (1977). Colour-coding properties of sustained and transient channels in human vision. Nature 266, 266–268.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tootell, R.B.H., Hamilton, S.L. & Switkes, E. (1988). Functional anatomy of macaque striate cortex, IV: Contrast and mango-parvo streams. Journal of Neuroscience 8, 1594–1609.Google Scholar
Wagner, G. & Boynton, R.M. (1972). Comparison of four methods of heterochromatic photometry. Journal of the Optical Society of America 62, 1508–1515.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weber, H. & Fischer, B. (1990). Effect of a local ibotenic acid lesion in the visual association area on the prelunate gyrus (area V4) on saccadic reaction times in trained rhesus monkeys. Experimental Brain Research 81, 134–139.Google Scholar