No relationship between binocular rivalry rate and eye movement variables
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1
Perceptual and Clinical Neuroscience Group, Australia
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2
Central Clinical School, Monash University, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Australia
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3
Monash University, School of Psychology & Psychiatry, Australia
Background: Binocular rivalry (BR) is an intriguing phenomenon in which conflicting images are presented, one to each eye, resulting in perceptual alternation (‘rivalry’) between each image. The rate of this BR has been proposed as a potential endophenotype for bipolar disorder because (i) this psychiatric condition is associated with a slower switch rate than that seen in healthy controls and in other psychiatric disorders, and (ii) an individual’s rate of BR is at least 50% genetically determined. However, eye movements (EM) have been considered a potential explanation of the slow BR trait given EM anomalies are observed in psychiatric populations and there have been reports of an association between EM and BR rate in healthy controls. This study sought to assess the relationship between BR and EM in healthy controls using a wide range of saccadic and smooth pursuit paradigms. Methods: Forty healthy participants (mean age 37.23 years; 15 males) were recruited to complete the same BR task that has been previously used in clinical and genetic studies. Saccades were separately recorded, using a range of anticipatory, antisaccade, prosaccade, self-paced, free viewing, and smooth pursuit EM tasks. Results: There were no significant correlations between any of the EM variables and BR rate (p>0.01). Discussion: The findings suggest that EM are not associated with BR rate, at least in healthy controls. This has important implications for the notion of using BR rate an endophenotype for bipolar disorder, because if the current EM findings are replicated in clinical psychiatric populations, EM interpretations of the slow BR trait can be excluded.
Keywords:
Binocular Rivalry,
Eye Movements,
Saccades,
smooth pursuit eye movements,
endophenotype
Conference:
ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 28 Nov - 1 Dec, 2013.
Presentation Type:
Poster
Topic:
Sensation and Perception
Citation:
Law
PC,
Riddiford
JA,
Gurvich
CT,
Ngo
TT and
Miller
SM
(2013). No relationship between binocular rivalry rate and eye movement variables.
Conference Abstract:
ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.212.00116
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Received:
14 Sep 2013;
Published Online:
25 Nov 2013.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Phillip C Law, Perceptual and Clinical Neuroscience Group, Melbourne, Australia, phillip.law@monash.edu