Spatial frequency selectivity of visual suppression during convergence eye movements

• Published in: Vision research (Oxford) 2013-08, Vol.89, p.96-101
• Main Authors: Mucke, Sven, Strang, Niall C., Aydin, Senay, Mallen, Edward A.H., Seidel, Dirk, Manahilov, Velitchko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Contrast sensitivity; Contrast Sensitivity - physiology; Convergence eye movements; Convergence, Ocular - physiology; Female; Humans; Male; Photic Stimulation - methods; Psychometrics; Saccades - physiology; Space Perception - physiology; Visual suppression
• ISSN: 0042-6989; 1878-5646
• DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2013.07.008

•Convergence eye movements reduce contrast sensitivity to low spatial frequency information.•Mid and high spatial frequency information remains unaffected.•This reduced sensitivity is found around the onset of the convergence eye movement.•Dynamic convergence elicits similar visual suppression as found during saccades and blinks. Visual suppression of low-spatial frequency information during eye movements is believed to contribute to a stable perception of our visual environment. While visual perception has been studied extensively during saccades, vergence has been somewhat neglected. Here, we show that convergence eye movements reduce contrast sensitivity to low spatial frequency information around the onset of the eye movements, but do not affect sensitivity to higher spatial frequencies. This suggests that visual suppression elicited by convergence eye movements may have the same temporal and spatial characteristics as saccadic suppression.