Posts tagged eye movement
Articles and news from the latest research reports.
Researchers observe brain development in utero
New investigation methods using functional magnetic resonance tomography (fMRT) offer insights into fetal brain development. These “in vivo” observations will uncover different stages of the brain’s development. A research group at the Computational Imaging Research Lab from the MedUni Vienna has observed that parts of the brain that are later responsible for sight are already active at this stage.
To obtain insights into the development of the human brain in utero, the study group observed 32 fetuses from the 21st to 38th week of pregnancy (an average pregnancy lasts 40 weeks). The architecture of the brain is developed particularly during the middle trimester of pregnancy. Using functional magnetic resonance tomography, it was possible to measure activity and thereby gain information about the most important cortical and sub-cortical structures of the developing brain. During the period of the 26th to 29th week of pregnancy in particular, short-range neuronal connections developed especially actively, while in contrast to this, long-range nerve connections exhibited more linear growth during pregnancy. “It became apparent that the areas responsible for sensory perception are developed first and only then, around four weeks later, do the areas responsible for more complex, cognitive skills come along,” says first author Andras Jakab from the Computational Imaging Research Lab at the MedUni Vienna, explaining the results.
In another study, the study group led by Veronika Schöpf and Georg Langs was able to demonstrate for a correlation of eye movement and areas of the brain which are later responsible to process vision as early as the 30th to the 36th weeks of pregnancy. The fact that newborn babies first have to learn to “process” visual stimuli after birth is already known. It has now been possible to demonstrate that this important development starts even before birth. The research group investigated the relationship between eye movements and brain activity. Even at this stage of development, motor visual movement is linked to the areas in the visual cortex of the brain responsible for processing optical signals. “The relationship between eye movement and the responsible areas of the brain has therefore been demonstrated for the first time in utero”, explains first author Veronika Schöpf.
Brain and eye combined monitoring breakthrough could lead to fewer road accidents
Latest advances in capturing data on brain activity and eye movement are being combined to open up a host of ‘mindreading’ possibilities for the future. These include the potential development of a system that can detect when drivers are in danger of falling asleep at the wheel.
The research has been undertaken at the University of Leicester with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and in collaboration with the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
The breakthrough involves bringing two recent developments in the world of technology together: high-speed eye tracking that records eye movements in unprecedented detail using cutting-edge infra-red cameras*; and high-density electroencephalograph** (EEG) technology that measures electrical brain activity with millisecond precision through electrodes placed on the scalp.
The research has overcome previous technological challenges which made it difficult to monitor eye movement and brain activity simultaneously. The team has done this by developing novel signal processing techniques.
This could be the first step towards a system that combines brain and eye monitoring to automatically alert drivers who are showing signs of drowsiness. The system would be built into the vehicle and connected unobtrusively to the driver, with the EEG looking out for brain signals that only occur in the early stages of sleepiness. The eye tracker would reinforce this by looking for erratic gaze patterns symptomatic of someone starting to feel drowsy and different from those characteristic of someone driving who is constantly looking out for hazards. Fatigue has been estimated to account for around 20 per cent of traffic accidents on the UK’s motorways.***
The breakthrough achieved by the University of Leicester could also ultimately be built on to deliver many other everyday applications in the years ahead. For example:
- Computer games of the future could dispense with the need for the player to physically interact with any type of console, mouse or other hand-operated system. Instead, eye movement and brain activity data would be collected and processed to indicate what action the player wants to take. By distinguishing the tiny differences in various types of brain activity, the EEG would identify the precise action the player desires (e.g. run, jump or throw), while the eye movement data would show exactly where on the screen the player was looking when they had this thought. This information could be combined to enable the correct action to occur. An unobtrusive headset would be all that would be required to capture the necessary data.
- People who have no arm functionality could move their wheelchairs simply through their eye movements. These movements could be tracked and the corresponding brain activity analysed to identify when these indicate a desire to move in a certain direction. This would then automatically activate a steering and propulsion mechanism that would drive the wheelchair to that place.
- The breakthrough could also provide the basis for improved tests to diagnose dyslexia and other reading disorders. Current tests revolve around a rapid succession of single words flashed onto a computer screen, with the resulting brain activity monitored by EEG. The new technique could enable the person being tested to move their eyes and read longer passages of text in a natural way, making the tests much more realistic and revealing.
- With the basic concept now demonstrated successfully, the team aim to continue their work and eventually develop software that, in real time, automatically monitors both eye movement and brain activity.
- Dr Matias Ison, who has led the research, says: “Historically, eye-tracking and EEG have evolved as independent fields. We have managed to overcome the challenges that were standing in the way of integrating these technologies. This is already leading to a much better understanding of how the brain responds when the eyes are moving. Monitoring the alertness of drivers is just one of many potential applications for this work. Building on the foundation provided by our EPSRC-funded project, we hope to see the first of these starting to become feasible within the next three to five years.”
(Source: epsrc.ac.uk)