User:SaswatPanda/saccadic latency sandbox

saccadic latency
The term "Saccade" originates from the french term saquer, meaning "jerk". It describes the jerky, simultaneous movement of both eyeballs which is continuously being conducted to acquire visual information in mammals. The smaller movements of the eyes are necessary for scanning or redirecting our eyes over a small area such as a photograph or page of a book to "look" at it. Saccadic initiation is increasingly being studied in SEF work to glean its role in the network of saccade initiation and vision. This work is conducted through use of monkeys asked to perform saccadic go/no-go tasks and tracking their eye movements. These trained monkeys are to respond, or not respond, visually to the introduction of newly appearing targets. And as they perform these tasks, the initiation of a saccade is measured through microelectrodes implanted in the SEF. Using this technique, it is actually possible to monitor the time delay between the neuronal activation of saccade initiating neurons and the introduction of the target. The time delay is called Saccadic Latency.

significance
The visual system is sensitive to sudden change. If something distracting occurs while a person is performing a task--reading a newspaper, for example--this immediately captures one's attention. While this sudden shift can be a distraction, it can also be thought to be a reflex of great importance as identifying and reacting to environmental changes quickly--when needed--can be imperative to survival. Saccadic latency can then become a good parameter for learning which occulomotor neurons and structures of the brain play what specific roles in saccade initiation.