Disconjugate memory-guided saccades to disparate targets: temporal aspects

Abstract.

Memory-guided saccades to disparate targets (i.e., more eccentric for one eye) flashed 1 s earlier become disconjugate (i.e., of different amplitude for the two eyes) after only about 30 trials. After about 225 trials the disconjugacy persists even when the target to remember is no longer disparate. This suggests fast learning based on short-term memorization of disparity. Learning, however, fails to occur if during the training the memory delay for each trial is increased to 2 s. The purpose of the present study was to test the importance of the frequency of stimulus presentation and thereby the rate of saccades. The same memory-guided saccade paradigm was used as in the prior study and a short training period of 225 trials was applied. For each training trial, the memory delay was again 2 s, but the time allocated for fixation of the central dot and the time allocated for fixation of the remembered target in the dark was reduced to increase the frequency of saccades made. Saccades became rapidly disconjugate and their disconjugacy was retained in a subsequent neutral condition using non-disparate targets. These findings indicate that stimulus frequency and thereby saccade frequency is important for disconjugate oculomotor learning based on disparity memorization. Nevertheless, additional experiments using longer memory delays of 3 s or 4 s show a definite failure of memorization and disconjugate learning.