The influence of feature salience over microsaccades in normal and blindsight humans and monkeys: an experimental and theoretical investigation

微扫视是在凝视期间发生的微小扫视眼球运动。尽管微扫视产生的详细机制及其在视觉中的功能作用尚未完全了解，但最近的研究表明，这些眼球运动可以作为理解感知和认知的几个方面的更大扫视的重要代理。其中一个方面涉及选择性视觉注意和眼球运动之间的关系，其中显示微扫视与其随机和自发的经典描述相反，与注意有关。这种关系的神经机制尚未完全理解，其在视觉病理状态下的特征完全未被探索。该研究的目的是了解选择性视觉注意模型中通常包含的特征显著性如何影响微眼跳。我们将通过使用行为，神经生理，损伤和计算建模技术的组合来解决这个问题。我们将进行模型驱动的实验，旨在滴定功能的显着性的影响，预测计算，对微扫视。这些实验最终将在一个全面的神经网络模型中达到高潮，该模型考虑到视觉显著性和注意力在影响这些微小的眼球运动中的重要作用。我们将具体比较初级视皮层（V1）和上级丘（SC）在正常状态下以及V1病变期间调节视觉的可能不同作用。通过选择性地探测两条不同的视觉通路（一条通过V1，另一条绕过V1），我们不仅将了解特征显著性对最小可能扫视的影响，而且还将确定盲视患者（失去V1功能）所面临的机遇和挑战，并最终为这些患者如何在失去有意识视觉的情况下优化生活质量提供指导

Microsaccades are tiny saccadic eye movements that take place during periods of gaze fixation. Even though the detailed mechanisms for microsaccade generation, as well as their functional role in vision, are not fully understood, recent research has revealed that these eye movements can act as an important proxy for larger saccades in understanding several aspects of perception and cognition. One such aspect concerns the relationship between selective visual attention and eye movements, in which it was shown that microsaccades, in contrast to their classic description as random and spontaneous, are related to attention. The neural mechanisms for such a relationship are not fully understood, and its characteristics in pathological states of vision are completely unexplored. The purpose of the proposed research is to understand how feature salience that is commonly included in models of selective visual attention can influence microsaccades. We will approach this problem by using a combination of behavioral, neurophysiological, lesion, and computational modeling techniques. We will conduct model-driven experiments designed to titrate the effects of feature salience, as predicted computationally, on microsaccades. These experiments will then ultimately culminate in a comprehensive neural network model of microsaccade generation that takes into account the important roles of visual salience and attention in influencing these tiny eye movements. We will specifically compare the possible distinct roles of primary visual cortex (V1) and superior colliculus (SC) in mediating vision in the normal state, as well as during V1 lesions. By selectively probing two distinct pathways for vision (one through V1 and one bypassing it), not only will we understand the influence of feature salience on the smallest possible saccades, but we will also identify the opportunities and challenges faced by blindsight patients (who lose V1 function), and ultimately provide guidelines on how these patients may optimize their quality of life despite their loss of conscious vision