Clinical Neurophysiology
Volume 120, Issue 11 , Pages 1988-1993, November 2009

Investigation of cue-based vertical and horizontal eye movements with electroencephalographic and eye-tracking data

  • Vera Kaiser

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Knowledge Discovery, Graz University of Technology, Krenngasse 37, 8010 Graz, Austria
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +43 316 873 5310; fax: +43 316 873 5349.
    • ,
  • Clemens Brunner

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Knowledge Discovery, Graz University of Technology, Krenngasse 37, 8010 Graz, Austria
    • ,
  • Robert Leeb

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Knowledge Discovery, Graz University of Technology, Krenngasse 37, 8010 Graz, Austria
    • ,
  • Christa Neuper

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Knowledge Discovery, Graz University of Technology, Krenngasse 37, 8010 Graz, Austria
    • Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2/III, 8010 Graz, Austria
    • ,
  • Gert Pfurtscheller

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Knowledge Discovery, Graz University of Technology, Krenngasse 37, 8010 Graz, Austria

Accepted 2 September 2009.

Abstract 

Objective

This study investigates the influence of eye movement direction on patterns of brain activation.

Methods

The processing of visual input was investigated by quantifying event-related desynchronization (ERD) in the electroencephalogram (EEG). Cue-based vertical and horizontal eye movements were measured with an eye tracker. Differences between vertical and horizontal eye movements in EEG and eye-tracking data were analyzed.

Results

The results of this study indicate that vertical and horizontal eye movements result in different ERD and ERS patterns. During the execution of a saccade vertical eye movements are accompanied by a stronger ERS whereas the fixation of the cue is related to stronger ERD after horizontal eye movements.

Conclusion

The fact that eye movements are correlated with a desynchronization of activity in parietal and occipital areas is reasonable, since visual information processing and visual control of movements take place there. Stronger ERD in the alpha band could be related to the fact that information processing tasks like e.g. reading require mostly horizontal and not vertical eye movements.

Significance

The differences in the ERD/ERS patterns in relation to the direction of the eye movement should be considered in future investigations and taken into account in the construction of paradigms.

Keywords: Eye movements, Event-related desynchronization (ERD), Event-related synchronization (ERS), Eye-tracking, Electroencephalography (EEG)

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PII: S1388-2457(09)00525-2

doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2009.09.001

Clinical Neurophysiology
Volume 120, Issue 11 , Pages 1988-1993, November 2009

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