Fatigue and Arousal Modulations Revealed by Saccade and Pupil Dynamics

Jui-Tai Chen, Ying-Chun Kuo, Tzu-Yu Hsu and Chin-An Wang
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Jui-Tai Chen: Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
Ying-Chun Kuo: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, College of Health Science and Technology, National Central University, Taoyuan City 320, Taiwan
Tzu-Yu Hsu: Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain, and Consciousness (GIMBC), Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
Chin-An Wang: Department of Anesthesiology, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City 235, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-21

Abstract: Saccadic eye movements are directed to the objects of interests and enable high-resolution visual images in the exploration of the visual world. There is a trial-to-trial variation in saccade dynamics even in a simple task, possibly attributed to arousal fluctuations. Previous studies have showed that an increase of fatigue level over time, also known as time-on-task, can be revealed by saccade peak velocity. In addition, pupil size, controlled by the autonomic nervous system, has long been used as an arousal index. However, limited research has been done with regards to the relation between pupil size and saccade behavior in the context of trial-to-trial variation. To investigate fatigue and arousal effects on saccadic and pupillary responses, we used bright and emotional stimuli to evoke pupillary responses in tasks requiring reactive and voluntary saccade generation. Decreased voluntary saccade peak velocities, reduced tonic pupil size and phasic pupillary responses were observed as time-on-task increased. Moreover, tonic pupil size affected saccade latency and dynamics, with steeper saccade main sequence slope as tonic pupil size increased. In summary, saccade dynamics and tonic pupil size were sensitive to fatigue and arousal level, together providing valuable information for the understanding of human behavior.

Keywords: arousal; voluntary and reflexive saccades; saccade peak velocity; pupil light reflex; pupil dilation; superior colliculus; time-on-task; trial-to-trial (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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