Oculomotor feature discrimination is cortically mediated
Eye movements are often directed toward stimuli with specific features. Decades of neurophysiological research has determined that this behavior is subserved by a feature-reweighting of the neural activation encoding potential eye movements. Despite the considerable body of research examining featur...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2023.1251933/full |
| _version_ | 1827795029693825024 |
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| author | Devin H. Kehoe Devin H. Kehoe Devin H. Kehoe Devin H. Kehoe Devin H. Kehoe Mazyar Fallah Mazyar Fallah Mazyar Fallah Mazyar Fallah |
| author_facet | Devin H. Kehoe Devin H. Kehoe Devin H. Kehoe Devin H. Kehoe Devin H. Kehoe Mazyar Fallah Mazyar Fallah Mazyar Fallah Mazyar Fallah |
| author_sort | Devin H. Kehoe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Eye movements are often directed toward stimuli with specific features. Decades of neurophysiological research has determined that this behavior is subserved by a feature-reweighting of the neural activation encoding potential eye movements. Despite the considerable body of research examining feature-based target selection, no comprehensive theoretical account of the feature-reweighting mechanism has yet been proposed. Given that such a theory is fundamental to our understanding of the nature of oculomotor processing, we propose an oculomotor feature-reweighting mechanism here. We first summarize the considerable anatomical and functional evidence suggesting that oculomotor substrates that encode potential eye movements rely on the visual cortices for feature information. Next, we highlight the results from our recent behavioral experiments demonstrating that feature information manifests in the oculomotor system in order of featural complexity, regardless of whether the feature information is task-relevant. Based on the available evidence, we propose an oculomotor feature-reweighting mechanism whereby (1) visual information is projected into the oculomotor system only after a visual representation manifests in the highest stage of the cortical visual processing hierarchy necessary to represent the relevant features and (2) these dynamically recruited cortical module(s) then perform feature discrimination via shifting neural feature representations, while also maintaining parity between the feature representations in cortical and oculomotor substrates by dynamically reweighting oculomotor vectors. Finally, we discuss how our behavioral experiments may extend to other areas in vision science and its possible clinical applications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:43:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1d4ee6f7d57743b9915e11088b7a4325 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5137 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:43:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-1d4ee6f7d57743b9915e11088b7a43252023-10-12T06:39:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience1662-51372023-10-011710.3389/fnsys.2023.12519331251933Oculomotor feature discrimination is cortically mediatedDevin H. Kehoe0Devin H. Kehoe1Devin H. Kehoe2Devin H. Kehoe3Devin H. Kehoe4Mazyar Fallah5Mazyar Fallah6Mazyar Fallah7Mazyar Fallah8Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, CanadaCentre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, CanadaVISTA: Vision Science to Applications, York University, Toronto, ON, CanadaCanadian Action and Perception Network, CanadaDépartement de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, CanadaDepartment of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, CanadaCentre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, CanadaCanadian Action and Perception Network, CanadaCollege of Biological Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, CanadaEye movements are often directed toward stimuli with specific features. Decades of neurophysiological research has determined that this behavior is subserved by a feature-reweighting of the neural activation encoding potential eye movements. Despite the considerable body of research examining feature-based target selection, no comprehensive theoretical account of the feature-reweighting mechanism has yet been proposed. Given that such a theory is fundamental to our understanding of the nature of oculomotor processing, we propose an oculomotor feature-reweighting mechanism here. We first summarize the considerable anatomical and functional evidence suggesting that oculomotor substrates that encode potential eye movements rely on the visual cortices for feature information. Next, we highlight the results from our recent behavioral experiments demonstrating that feature information manifests in the oculomotor system in order of featural complexity, regardless of whether the feature information is task-relevant. Based on the available evidence, we propose an oculomotor feature-reweighting mechanism whereby (1) visual information is projected into the oculomotor system only after a visual representation manifests in the highest stage of the cortical visual processing hierarchy necessary to represent the relevant features and (2) these dynamically recruited cortical module(s) then perform feature discrimination via shifting neural feature representations, while also maintaining parity between the feature representations in cortical and oculomotor substrates by dynamically reweighting oculomotor vectors. Finally, we discuss how our behavioral experiments may extend to other areas in vision science and its possible clinical applications.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2023.1251933/fullvisuomotor integrationvisual featuresfeature guidancefeature discriminationeye movementstarget selection |
| spellingShingle | Devin H. Kehoe Devin H. Kehoe Devin H. Kehoe Devin H. Kehoe Devin H. Kehoe Mazyar Fallah Mazyar Fallah Mazyar Fallah Mazyar Fallah Oculomotor feature discrimination is cortically mediated Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience visuomotor integration visual features feature guidance feature discrimination eye movements target selection |
| title | Oculomotor feature discrimination is cortically mediated |
| title_full | Oculomotor feature discrimination is cortically mediated |
| title_fullStr | Oculomotor feature discrimination is cortically mediated |
| title_full_unstemmed | Oculomotor feature discrimination is cortically mediated |
| title_short | Oculomotor feature discrimination is cortically mediated |
| title_sort | oculomotor feature discrimination is cortically mediated |
| topic | visuomotor integration visual features feature guidance feature discrimination eye movements target selection |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2023.1251933/full |
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