We analyzed the dynamics of saccadic eye movements performed by monkeys in three different conditions: as a part of an ocular motor task, spontaneously when the monkey was alert but not performing a task in ordinary room illumination, and spontaneously when the monkey was alert but not performing a task in total darkness. We found three general classes of saccades: 1) regular-symmetric, in which the rise time of the velocity profile was equal to the falling time; 2) regular-asymmetric, in which the rise time was less than the falling time; 3) irregular, in which there were multiple velocity maxima or inflection points. The monkeys made irregular saccades half the time in the two spontaneous saccade conditions, and almost never during the task. In order to see if the regularity of saccades was an artifact of reward, we then evoked saccades by presenting the monkeys with novel visual and acoustic stimuli to which they made saccades. Such guided saccades to novel stimuli had regular velocity profiles. We suggest that saccades made as a part of attentive behavior differ in their motor programming from saccades made spontaneously in darkness, or saccades made in the light without a purpose relevant to visual behavior.

The motor programs of monkey's saccades: an attentional hypothesis / Bon, Leopoldo; Lucchetti, Cristina. - In: EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH. - ISSN 0014-4819. - 71:(1988), pp. 199-207.

The motor programs of monkey's saccades: an attentional hypothesis

BON, Leopoldo;LUCCHETTI, Cristina
1988

Abstract

We analyzed the dynamics of saccadic eye movements performed by monkeys in three different conditions: as a part of an ocular motor task, spontaneously when the monkey was alert but not performing a task in ordinary room illumination, and spontaneously when the monkey was alert but not performing a task in total darkness. We found three general classes of saccades: 1) regular-symmetric, in which the rise time of the velocity profile was equal to the falling time; 2) regular-asymmetric, in which the rise time was less than the falling time; 3) irregular, in which there were multiple velocity maxima or inflection points. The monkeys made irregular saccades half the time in the two spontaneous saccade conditions, and almost never during the task. In order to see if the regularity of saccades was an artifact of reward, we then evoked saccades by presenting the monkeys with novel visual and acoustic stimuli to which they made saccades. Such guided saccades to novel stimuli had regular velocity profiles. We suggest that saccades made as a part of attentive behavior differ in their motor programming from saccades made spontaneously in darkness, or saccades made in the light without a purpose relevant to visual behavior.
1988
71
199
207
The motor programs of monkey's saccades: an attentional hypothesis / Bon, Leopoldo; Lucchetti, Cristina. - In: EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH. - ISSN 0014-4819. - 71:(1988), pp. 199-207.
Bon, Leopoldo; Lucchetti, Cristina
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.
Pubblicazioni consigliate

Licenza Creative Commons
I metadati presenti in IRIS UNIMORE sono rilasciati con licenza Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal, mentre i file delle pubblicazioni sono rilasciati con licenza Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale (CC BY 4.0), salvo diversa indicazione.
In caso di violazione di copyright, contattare Supporto Iris

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/611914
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 0
  • Scopus 9
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 11
social impact