Search Results (24)

Multi-window map interfaces are widely used in geospatial monitoring systems and map-based analytical environments, where users must rapidly locate task-relevant information across multiple spatial displays. Designing visual cues and display conditions that effectively support visual search in such environments remains an important challenge for map interface design. This study examines how luminance contrast and highlighting influence visual search performance in multi-window map interfaces. A within-subject eye-tracking experiment was conducted using five highlighting conditions (No Highlighting as the control condition, Outer Border Highlighting, Text Highlighting, Title-Bar Highlighting, and Background Highlighting) and three luminance-contrast levels (low, medium, and high). Behavioral performance (accuracy and reaction time) and eye-movement measures (total viewing duration, fixation count, saccade count, and time to first fixation) were analyzed to evaluate how perceptual visibility and visual cue structures affect spatial information search. Results show that higher luminance contrast improved accuracy and reduced reaction time, although differences between medium and high contrast were small, suggesting that performance stabilized once a sufficient visibility threshold was reached. All highlighting conditions facilitated search relative to the control condition, with background and title-bar highlighting producing the most efficient gaze behavior and earlier target acquisition. A significant interaction between luminance contrast and highlighting was also observed, indicating that structured highlighting mitigates the performance costs associated with low contrast. Eye-movement evidence further indicates that region-based cues guide attention at the level of spatial interface regions rather than simply increasing local salience. These findings provide empirical guidance for improving spatial information retrieval efficiency in multi-window geospatial interfaces. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study aims to investigate the development of oculomotor behavior in children born preterm using a DIVE device (Device for an Integral Visual Examination) equipped with eye-tracking technology. Visual and visuo-cognitive measures obtained through eye-tracking technology provide quantitative and sensitive indicators of early neural development, as visual function is one of the earliest cerebral processes to develop postnatally. Design: This is a cross-sectional study. Participants: The study included 428 children aged 0.5 to 14 years. Of these, 214 were born preterm (78 late preterm, born at 32–36 weeks’ gestation, and 136 early preterm, born at less than 32 weeks’ gestation) and 214 were full-term controls, matched by age and gender. Methods: All participants underwent a comprehensive ophthalmological assessment. Oculomotor behavior was analyzed using a DIVE device, focusing on fixation duration, saccadic performance and fixation stability. Fixation stability was quantified by the bivariate contour ellipse area for short tasks (BCEA), which measures (in deg²) the area of the ellipse enclosing a specified percentage of fixation positions—smaller BCEA values indicate greater fixation stability. We performed a cluster analysis on these oculomotor metrics to identify distinct oculomotor control patterns. Results: Preterm children exhibited significantly poorer fixation stability than controls (mean BCEA 0.21 vs. 0.09 logdeg², p = 0.004), alongside shorter fixation durations and longer saccadic reaction times. Early preterm children showed more unstable fixations compared to late-preterm and control groups (0.26 vs. 0.12 and 0.09 logdeg², respectively, p = 0.001). Cluster analysis revealed three distinct OMC (oculomotor control) patterns: “good,” “impulsive,” and “poor.” Children classified in the “good OMC” cluster demonstrated stable fixations and appropriate saccadic reaction times. In contrast, those in the “impulsive OMC” and “poor OMC” clusters exhibited more unstable fixations and abnormal saccadic times, with the “poor” cluster being significantly associated with extreme prematurity, lower birth weights, and a higher incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Conclusions: Preterm birth is associated with measurable oculomotor deficits, most pronounced in early preterm infants, affecting their fixation and saccadic abilities. The findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions to support the development of preterm children, particularly those with “poor” oculomotor control behavior. Full article

Spatial representation is a core element of spatial cognition in orienteering, but the visual-spatial neural modulation mechanisms underlying spatial representations with differently oriented maps have not yet been systematically elucidated. This study recruited 67 orienteering athletes as participants and employed a single-factor (map orientation: normal vs. rotated) between-subjects experimental design. Eye-tracking and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) techniques were used simultaneously to collect behavioral, eye movement, and brain activity data, investigating the effects of map orientation on visual attention and brain activity characteristics during terrain symbol representation processing in orienteering athletes. The results revealed that compared to the normal orientation, the rotated orientation led to significantly decreased task accuracy, significantly prolonged reaction times, and significantly increased saccade amplitude and pupil diameter. Brain activation analysis showed that the rotated orientation elicited significantly higher activation levels in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R-DLPFC), bilateral parietal lobe cortex (L-PL, R-PL), right temporal lobe (R-TL), and visual cortex (VC) compared to the normal orientation, along with enhanced functional connectivity. Correlation analysis revealed that under normal map orientation, accuracy was positively correlated with both saccade amplitude and pupil diameter; accuracy was positively correlated with activation in the R-DLPFC; saccade amplitude was positively correlated with activation in the R-DLPFC and R-PL; and pupil diameter was positively correlated with activation in the R-DLPFC. Under rotated map orientation, accuracy was positively correlated with saccade amplitude and pupil diameter, and pupil diameter was positively correlated with activation in both the L-PL and R-PL. The results indicate that map orientation significantly influences the visual search patterns and neural activity characteristics of orienteering athletes, impacting task performance through the coupling mode of visual-neural activity. Full article

Background/Objective: This study aims to evaluate the predictive performance of three supervised machine learning algorithms—decision tree (DT), support vector machine (SVM), and k-nearest neighbors (KNN) in forecasting key visual skills relevant to rhythmic gymnastics. Methods: A total of 383 rhythmic gymnasts aged 4 to 27 years were evaluated in various sports centers across Madrid, Spain. Visual assessments included clinical tests (near convergence point accommodative facility, reaction time, and hand–eye coordination) and eye-tracking tasks (fixation stability, saccades, smooth pursuits, and visual acuity) using the DIVE (Devices for an Integral Visual Examination) system. The dataset was split into training (70%) and testing (30%) subsets. Each algorithm was trained to classify visual performance, and predictive performance was assessed using accuracy and macro F1-score metrics. Results: The decision tree model demonstrated the highest performance, achieving an average accuracy of 92.79% and a macro F1-score of 0.9276. In comparison, the SVM and KNN models showed lower accuracies (71.17% and 78.38%, respectively) and greater difficulty in correctly classifying positive cases. Notably, the DT model outperformed the others in predicting fixation stability and accommodative facility, particularly in short-duration fixation tasks. Conclusion: The decision tree algorithm achieved the highest performance in predicting short-term fixation stability, but its effectiveness was limited in tasks involving accommodative facility, where other models such as SVM and KNN outperformed it in specific metrics. These findings support the integration of machine learning in sports vision screening and suggest that predictive modeling can inform individualized training and performance optimization in visually demanding sports such as rhythmic gymnastics. Full article

Purpose: Patients with advanced glaucoma have visual field defects that impair mobility and quality of life (QoL). We aim to determine the effects of exploratory saccade training (EST) in such patients with bilateral overlapping scotomas that affect at least one visual field quadrant. Patients and Methods: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of the University of Tuebingen, Germany, and was registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS DRKS00031082, date of approval: 2 February 2023). We randomly assigned 27 patients to two groups, one of which trained with a computer-based EST (group 1). A control group (group 2) first used reading training (rapid serial visual presentation, RSVP, a single-word presentation to minimize eye movements) as placebo training (PRT) in regard to EST, which trains eye movements and, in a later phase, also used EST. Each training method required 6 weeks of home training. Main outcome variables were reaction time (RT) during the EST training sessions, RT during a natural search task (table test), reading speed (RS) during training on the screen, and during reading printed paragraphs aloud. QoL was assessed by a questionnaire. Results: Reaction times during EST and the table test improved significantly, which indicated transfer of the training effect to daily life. RS and QoL were reduced at baseline. Reading training improved RS significantly and reached normal median values. QoL improved significantly in the sub-categories regarding mobility problems in group 1. Patients with inferior field defects were more impaired and improved more than those without inferior field defects. Conclusions: As a supplement to the necessary treatment for glaucoma, EST is an effective home training method for rehabilitation by improving reaction time in daily living tasks for patients with advanced glaucoma. Reading training improved RS while reading from a screen as well as reading printed text. Full article

Background/Objectives: When manipulating an object placed on the palm, the eyes and fingers move together. To perform this task precisely, coordination of the eyes and fingers is needed. Based on this view, the present study examined the three-way interaction among the central motor drives to the eyes, index finger, and little finger. Methods: Healthy male participants abducted the right index and/or little finger with or without concomitant saccadic eye movement to the right in response to a visual cue, while the forearm was in the pronated or supinated position. We measured the reaction time (RT), velocity, and amplitude of the eye movements, as well as the RT and amplitude of the electromyographic (EMG) responses in the prime movers for the independent and dependent finger movements. Results: The velocity, amplitude, and RT of the eye movement were not changed by the additional involvement of the finger movement, indicating that the central motor drive to the finger does not influence the eye motor excitability and central motor drive to the eyes. On the one hand, the RT of the finger was not changed by the eye movement, indicating that the central motor drive to the eyes does not influence the central motor drive to the finger muscle. On the other hand, the EMG amplitude in the first dorsal interosseous muscle at the movement onset decreased during the concomitant eye movement, indicating that the central motor drive to the eyes suppresses the motor excitability of the independent finger muscle. The RT increased and EMG amplitude decreased in one finger muscle when the other finger concurrently moved, indicating that the central motor drive to one finger muscle suppresses the motor excitability of and central motor drive to the other finger muscle. The change in the RT and EMG amplitude in one finger muscle caused by the concomitant execution of the other finger movement and/or eye movement varied with forearm position, indicating that forearm proprioception influences the interaction of the motor execution processes among the fingers and eyes. Conclusions: The central motor drive to the eyes or finger muscles suppresses the motor excitability of the other finger muscles and the central motor drive to that muscle, but the central motor drive to the finger muscles does not influence those for the eyes. Forearm proprioception influences the motor excitability of the finger muscle and central motor drive to that muscle. Full article

Epilepsy, a prevalent neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, significantly impacts individuals’ neurobiological, cognitive, and social lives. This report presents a feasibility study investigating the effects of a computerized cognitive training program on enhancing executive functions, particularly inhibitory control, in children and adolescents with epilepsy. Employing a pre-test–intervention–post-test design, the study involved 26 participants with diverse epileptic syndromes, focusing on those without severe intellectual disabilities. The intervention, based on the CogniFit Inc. platform, consisted of personalized tasks aiming to improve participants’ inhibitory skills over 16 weeks, with an average of 40 sessions completed per participant. Results indicated significant improvements in reaction times and error rates in an anti-saccade task, demonstrating enhanced inhibitory control and general performance post-intervention. These findings suggest that targeted cognitive training is a feasible approach to bolster executive functions in young individuals with epilepsy, potentially improving their academic performance, employability, and social interactions. The study underscores the importance of early cognitive interventions in epilepsy management, highlighting the potential for computerized programs to aid in mitigating cognitive deficits associated with the condition. Full article

Measuring simultaneous processing, a reliable predictor of reading development and reading difficulties (RDs), has traditionally involved cognitive tasks that test reaction or response time, which only capture the efficiency at the output processing stage and neglect the internal stages of information processing. However, with eye-tracking methodology, we can reveal the underlying temporal and spatial processes involved in simultaneous processing and investigate whether these processes are equivalent across chronological or reading age groups. This study used eye-tracking to investigate the simultaneous processing abilities of 15 Grade 6 and 15 Grade 3 children with RDs and their chronological-age controls (15 in each Grade). The Grade 3 typical readers were used as reading-level (RL) controls for the Grade 6 RD group. Participants were required to listen to a question and then point to a picture among four competing illustrations demonstrating the spatial relationship raised in the question. Two eye movements (fixations and saccades) were recorded using the EyeLink 1000 Plus eye-tracking system. The results showed that the Grade 3 RD group produced more and longer fixations than their CA controls, indicating that the pattern of eye movements of young children with RD is typically deficient compared to that of their typically developing counterparts when processing verbal and spatial stimuli simultaneously. However, no differences were observed between the Grade 6 groups in eye movement measures. Notably, the Grade 6 RD group outperformed the RL-matched Grade 3 group, yielding significantly fewer and shorter fixations. The discussion centers on the role of the eye-tracking method as a reliable means of deciphering the simultaneous cognitive processing involved in learning. Full article

In recent decades, theories have been presented to explain the nature of dyslexia, but the causes of dyslexia remained unclear. Although the investigation of the causes of dyslexia presupposes a clear understanding of the concept of cause, such an understanding is missing. The present paper proposes the absence of at least one necessary condition or the absence of all sufficient conditions as causes for impaired reading. The causes of impaired reading include: an incorrect fixation location, too short a fixation time, the attempt to recognize too many letters simultaneously, too large saccade amplitudes, and too short verbal reaction times. It is assumed that a longer required fixation time in dyslexic readers results from a functional impairment of areas V1, V2, and V3 that require more time to complete temporal summation. These areas and areas that receive input from them, such as the fusiform gyrus, are assumed to be impaired in their ability to simultaneously process a string of letters. When these impairments are compensated by a new reading strategy, reading ability improves immediately. Full article

In recent years, there has been a growing body of literature highlighting the relationship between presbycusis and consequences in areas other than hearing. In particular, presbycusis is linked to depression, dementia, and cognitive decline. Among this literature, the effect of hearing aids, currently the most common method of treating presbycusis, is also a growing research topic. This pilot study aims to explore the effects of hearing aids on the cognitive and multisensory consequences of presbycusis. To that purpose, saccades and vergences eye movements were studied, towards visual and audiovisual targets, of a presbycusis population wearing hearing aids for an average of two years. These measurements were done whether or not participants were wearing their hearing aids. Eye-movement characteristics, particularly latencies (the reaction time taken to initiate an eye movement), allows one to measure attentional and multisensory characteristics. Previous studies showed that presbycusis was linked with an increase of saccade latencies and an improvement in audiovisual interaction capacities, i.e., latencies for audiovisual targets are shorter than those for visual targets. Eye movements are measured and analyzed with REMOBI and AIDEAL technologies. Results show a shortening, with hearing aids, of right saccade latencies to visual targets, suggesting an increase in attention and/or engagement. Yet, saccade latencies are not shorter for audiovisual vs. visual targets alone, neither when wearing hearing aids, nor without. Moreover, convergence latencies are particularly slow for any type of target and with or without hearing aids. The results suggest deficits for audiovisual interactions and the initiation of convergences in that population. These deficits could be part of the factors triggering the need to wear hearing aids. These results therefore show interesting relationships between hearing-aid wearing in a presbycusis population and oculomotricity and invite further research in this area. Full article

Vision is one of the most complex and dominant sensory systems necessary for information feedback from the environment. Few studies have already reported a positive effect of a sport vision program on elite sport teams’ visual skills; however, few studies have focused on the effect of sport vision programs on children’s visual skills. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of a sports vision program on Grade 4 and 5 female netball players’ visual skills. Girls (N = 25) with a mean age of 10.08 years (SD = 0.65) formed part of this study. A pre-test–post-test design was followed with a retention test. The eight-week sports vision program was executed twice a week for 60 min on the experimental group (n = 13). The Developmental Test of Visual–Motor Integration (VMI-4), the Wayne Saccadic Fixator (WSF) and the Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test were used to evaluate the girls’ visual skills, hand–eye coordination, visual reaction time, peripheral vision and saccadic eye movements. No statistical differences were found between the two groups before starting with the sports vision program. After intervention, significant differences between the two groups were reported, with the experimental group performing better in hand–eye coordination (p = 0.001) and reaction time (p = 0.001). Results further indicated that the experimental group experienced significant improvements (p ≤ 0.05) in motor coordination, hand–eye coordination, reaction speed and visual tracking after intervention with significant lasting effects (p ≤ 0.05). The control group performed significantly worse in reaction time (p = 0.01). A sports vision program can be recommended for Grade 4 and 5 female netball players to improve certain visual skills. Full article

A single bout of aerobic exercise improves executive function; however, the mechanism(s) underlying this improvement remains unclear. Here, we employed a 20-min bout of aerobic exercise, and at pre- and immediate post-exercise sessions examined executive function via pro- (i.e., saccade to veridical target location) and anti-saccade (i.e., saccade mirror symmetrical to a target) performance and pupillometry metrics. Notably, tonic and phasic pupillometry responses in oculomotor control provided a framework to determine the degree that arousal and/or executive resource recruitment influence behavior. Results demonstrated a pre- to post-exercise decrease in pro- and anti-saccade reaction times (p = 0.01) concurrent with a decrease and increase in tonic baseline pupil size and task-evoked pupil dilations, respectively (ps < 0.03). Such results demonstrate that an exercise-induced improvement in saccade performance is related to an executive-mediated “shift” in physiological and/or psychological arousal, supported by the locus coeruleus norepinephrine system to optimize task engagement. Full article

Fatigue is a major complaint in MS. Up to now no objective assessment tools have been established which hampers any treatment approach. Previous work has indicated an association of fatigue with cognitive measures of attention. Oculomotor tests have been established in healthy individuals as a read-out of fatigue, and to some extent in MS patients. Based on these observations we compared two groups of MS patients, one with fatigue (n = 28) and one without fatigue (n = 21) and a group of healthy subjects (n = 15) with a standardised computerised measure of alertness and an oculomotor stress test. Patients with fatigue showed highly significant changes of their saccade dynamics as defined by the Main Sequence and Phase Plane plots: They showed slowing of saccades, the characteristical fatigue double peak, and an asymmetrical phase plane. Oculomotor tests differentiated significantly between fatigue and fatigabiliy in our MS patients. They also showed significantly worse performance in the alertness test as well as in the oculomotor task. Significantly slower reaction times were observed for tonic alertness in 2 series without a cue (p = 0.025 and p = 0.037) but not in phasic alertness with a cue (p = 0.24 and p = 0.34). Performance was influenced by disability as well as by affective state. We conclude, when controlling for disability and depression, saccadic stress tests and alertness tests could be used as an objective read-out for fatigability and fatigue in MS patients. Full article

Infant visual attention rapidly develops during the first year of life, playing a pivotal role in the way infants process, learn, and respond to their visual world. It is possible that individual differences in eye movement patterns shape early experience and thus subsequent cognitive development. If this is the case, then it may be possible to identify sub-optimal attentional behaviors in infancy, before the emergence of cognitive deficit. In Experiment 1, a latent profile analysis was conducted on scores derived from the Infant Orienting with Attention (IOWA) task, a cued-attention task that measures individual differences in spatial attention and orienting proficiency. This analysis identified three profiles that varied substantially in terms of attentional efficiency. The largest of these profiles (“high flexible”, 55%) demonstrated functionally optimal patterns of attentional functioning with relatively rapid, selective, and adaptive orienting responses. The next largest group (“low reactive”, 39.6%) demonstrated low attentional sensitivity with slow, insensitive orienting responses. The smallest group (“high reactive”, 5.4%) demonstrated attentional over-sensitivity, with rapid, unselective and inaccurate orienting responses. A linear mixed effect model and growth curve analysis conducted on 5- to 11-month-old eye tracking data revealed significant stable differences in growth trajectory for each phenotype group. Results from Experiment 2 demonstrated the ability of attentional phenotypes to explain individual differences in general cognitive functioning, revealing significant between-phenotype group differences in performance on a visual short-term memory task. Taken together, results presented here demonstrate that attentional phenotypes are present early in life and predict unique patterns of growth from 5 to 11 months, and may be useful in understanding the origin of individual differences in general visuo-cognitive functioning. Full article

Various studies have shown that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with an impairment of inhibitory control, although we do not have a comprehensive understanding of the associated cognitive processes. The ability to engage and disengage attention is a crucial cognitive operation of inhibitory control and can be readily investigated using the “gap effect” in a saccadic eye movement paradigm. In previous work, various demographic factors were confounded; therefore, here, we examine separately the effects of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease, ethnicity/culture and age. This study included young (N = 44) and old (N = 96) European participants, AD (N = 32), mildly cognitively impaired participants (MCI: N = 47) and South Asian older adults (N = 94). A clear reduction in the mean reaction times was detected in all the participant groups in the gap condition compared to the overlap condition, confirming the effect. Importantly, this effect was also preserved in participants with MCI and AD. A strong effect of age was also evident, revealing a slowing in the disengagement of attention during the natural process of ageing. Full article