Grant: Project Grant

Vision is of primary importance to humans, and yet we only see things clearly when we look directly at them. We therefore need to move our eyes to gather information about our surroundings. Although we are mostly unaware of these eye movements, they occur with great frequency - most people make around three eye movements per second. Interestingly, these eye movements occur at regular intervals, as if the eyes are following a rhythm. Moreover, the rhythmic nature of eye movements appears to be related to rhythmic electrical signals in the brain, which oscillate at particular frequencies. In this research, we will determine how oscillating activity in the brain is related to the rhythms of visual exploration during eye movements. We will use this oscillating activity as a means of studying key brain circuits responsible for vision and its interaction with other functions, such as memory and attention. Because these functions are known to be impaired in certain mental disorders, we will develop animal models to pinpoint the precise nature of these impairments, with the goal of informing future diagnostic and treatment protocols.