Spatial updating depends on gaze direction even after loss of vision
Open accessAbstract
Direction of gaze (eye angle + head angle) has been shown to be important for representing space for action, implying a crucial role of vision for spatial updating. However, blind people have no access to vision yet are able to perform goal-directed actions successfully. Here, we investigated the role of visual experience for localizing and updating targets as a function of intervening gaze shifts in humans. People who differed in visual experience (late blind, congenitally blind, or sighted) were briefly presented with a proprioceptive reach target while facing it. Before they reached to the target's remembered location, they turned their head toward an eccentric direction that also induced corresponding eye movements in sighted and late blind individuals. We found that reaching errors varied systematically as a function of shift in gaze direction only in participants with early visual experience (sighted and late blind). In the late blind, this effect was solely present in people with moveable eyes but not in people with at least one glass eye. Our results suggest that the effect of gaze shifts on spatial updating develops on the basis of visual experience early in life and remains even after loss of vision as long as feedback from the eyes and head is available.
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Even after loss of vision, the brain integrates eye movements for the localization of visual stimuli.
“Even after loss of vision, the brain integrates eye movements for the localization of visual stimuli (Reuschel et al., 2012)”
From Towards biologically plausible phosphene simulation for the differentiable optimization of visual cortical prostheses (2024) · cites this paper as Reuschel et al., 2012
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- Authors
- Reuschel, J., Rösler, F., Henriques, D. Y. P., & Fiehler, K.
- Affiliations
- Philipps University of Marburg (DE)
- University of Potsdam (DE)
- York University (CA)
- Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Fiehler, Katja
- Venue
- The Journal of Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Society for Neuroscience
- Published
- 2012-02-14
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 2422-2429
- ISSN
- 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
- 1529-2401
- PMC
- PMC6621798
- OpenAlex
- W2028890621
- Cited by
- 25
- References
- 59
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 2.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- publish.UP (University of Potsdam) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Spatial Cognition and Navigation
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
- Keywords
- spatial updating, gaze direction, visual experience, late blindness, congenital blindness, proprioception, eye movements, head movement, spatial localization, visual feedback, visuomotor control
- MeSH terms
- Acoustic Stimulation, Adult, Blindness, Eye Movements, Female, Humans, Male, Movement, Photic Stimulation, Psychomotor Performance, Space Perception, Young Adult
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