Inducing oculomotor plasticity to disclose the functional link between voluntary saccades and endogenous attention deployed perifoveally.
Sci Rep
; 9(1): 17770, 2019 11 28.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31780727
ABSTRACT
To what extent oculomotor and attention systems are linked remains strongly debated. Previous studies suggested that saccadic adaptation, a well-studied model of oculomotor plasticity, and orienting of attention rely on overlapping networks in the parietal cortex and can functionally interact. Using a Posner-like paradigm in healthy human subjects, we demonstrate for the first time that saccadic adaptation boosts endogenous attention orienting. Indeed, the discrimination of perifoveal targets benefits more from central cues after backward adaptation of leftward voluntary saccades than after a control saccade task. We propose that the overlap of underlying neural networks actually consists of neuronal populations co-activated by oculomotor plasticity and endogenous attention deployed perifoveally. The functional coupling demonstrated here plaids for conceptual models not belonging to the framework of the premotor theory of attention as the latter has been rejected precisely for this voluntary/endogenous modality. These results also open new perspective for rehabilitation of visuo-attentional deficits.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Orientação
/
Movimentos Sacádicos
/
Atenção
Limite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Sci Rep
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article