Oculomotor inhibition reflects temporal expectations

The accurate extraction of signals out of noisy environments is a major challenge of the perceptual system. Forming temporal expectations and continuously matching them with perceptual input can facilitate this process. In humans, temporal expectations are typically assessed using behavioral measure...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Fla.), 2019-01, Vol.184, p.279-292
Main Authors: Amit, Roy, Abeles, Dekel, Carrasco, Marisa, Yuval-Greenberg, Shlomit
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alpha Rhythm - physiology
Alpha-oscillations
Anticipation, Psychological - physiology
Behavior
Blinks
Brain Mapping - methods
Cues
EEG
Electroencephalography
Eye Movement Measurements
Eye Movements - physiology
Eye-movements
Female
Humans
Male
Oculomotor behavior
Saccades
Saccadic eye movements
Studies
Temporal expectations
Trends
Young Adult
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Summary:The accurate extraction of signals out of noisy environments is a major challenge of the perceptual system. Forming temporal expectations and continuously matching them with perceptual input can facilitate this process. In humans, temporal expectations are typically assessed using behavioral measures, which provide only retrospective but no real-time estimates during target anticipation, or by using electrophysiological measures, which require extensive preprocessing and are difficult to interpret. Here we show a new correlate of temporal expectations based on oculomotor behavior. Observers performed an orientation-discrimination task on a central grating target, while their gaze position and EEG were monitored. In each trial, a cue preceded the target by a varying interval (“foreperiod”). In separate blocks, the cue was either predictive or non-predictive regarding the timing of the target. Results showed that saccades and blinks were inhibited more prior to an anticipated regular target than a less-anticipated irregular one. This consistent oculomotor inhibition effect enabled a trial-by-trial classification according to interval-regularity. Additionally, in the regular condition the slope of saccade-rate and drift were shallower for longer than shorter foreperiods, indicating their adjustment according to temporal expectations. Comparing the sensitivity of this oculomotor marker with those of other common predictability markers (e.g. alpha-suppression) showed that it is a sensitive marker for cue-related anticipation. In contrast, temporal changes in conditional probabilities (hazard-rate) modulated alpha-suppression more than cue-related anticipation. We conclude that pre-target oculomotor inhibition is a correlate of temporal predictions induced by cue-target associations, whereas alpha-suppression is more sensitive to conditional probabilities across time. •Saccades and blinks are inhibited prior to predictable targets.•Pre-target oculomotor inhibition can be used as an index of temporal expectations.•This index is sensitive and direct, and is measured while predictions are made, unlike retrospective behavioral measures.•EEG Alpha amplitude is correlated with the hazard rate and reflects conditional probabilities.•There is no evidence that the oculomotor index reflects conditional probabilities.
ISSN:1053-8119
1095-9572
DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.09.026