Richard J. Sylvester

Saccades Differentially Modulate Human LGN and V1 Responses in the Presence and Absence of Visual Stimulation

Saccades occur several times each second in normal human vision. The visual image moves across the retina at high velocity during a saccade, yet no blurring of the visual scene is perceived . Active suppression of visual input may account for this perceptual continuity, but the neural mechanisms underlying such saccadic suppression remain unclear. We used functional MRI to specifically examine responses in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and primary visual cortex (V1) during saccades. Activity in both V1 and LGN was strongly modulated by saccades. Furthermore, this modulation depended on whether visual stimulation was present or absent. In complete darkness, saccades led to reliable signal increases in V1 and LGN, whereas in the presence of visual stimulation, saccades led to suppression of visually evoked responses. These findings represent unequivocal evidence for saccadic suppression in human LGN and retinotopically defined V1 and are consistent with the earliest site of saccadic suppression lying at or before V1.

Water Ice, Silicate, and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Emission Featuresin the Infrared Space Observatory Spectrum of the Carbon-richPlanetary Nebula CPD –56°8032*

Combined Infrared Space Observatory Short-Wavelength Spectrometer and Long-Wavelength Spectrometer spectroscopy is presented of the late WC-type planetary nebula nucleus CPD -56°8032 and its carbon-rich nebula. The extremely broad coverage (2.4-197 μm) enables us to recognize the clear and simultaneous presence of emission features from both oxygen- and carbon-rich circumstellar materials. Removing a smooth continuum highlights bright emission bands characteristic of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the 3-14 μm region, bands from crystalline silicates longward of 18 μm, and the 43 and 62 μm bands of crystalline water ice. We discuss the probable evolutionary state and history of this unusual object in terms of (a) a recent transition from an O-rich to a C-rich outflow following a helium shell flash or (b) a carbon-rich nebular outflow encountering an O-rich comet cloud.

Blinking suppresses the neural response to unchanging retinal stimulation

Blinks profoundly interrupt visual input but are rarely noticed, perhaps because of blink suppression, a visual-sensitivity loss that begins immediately prior to blink onset. Blink suppression is thought to result from an extra-retinal signal that is associated with the blink motor command and may act to attenuate the sensory consequences of the motor action. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. They are challenging to study because any brain-activity changes resulting from an extra-retinal signal associated with the blink motor command are potentially masked by profound neural-activity changes caused by the retinal-illumination reduction that results from occlusion of the pupil by the eyelid. Here, we distinguished direct top-down effects of blink-associated motor signals on cortical activity from purely mechanical or optical effects of blinking on visual input by combining pupil-independent retinal stimulation with functional MRI (fMRI) in humans. Even though retinal illumination was kept constant during blinks, we found that blinking nevertheless suppressed activity in visual cortex and in areas of parietal and prefrontal cortex previously associated with awareness of environmental change. Our findings demonstrate active top-down modulation of visual processing during blinking, suggesting a possible mechanism by which blinks go unnoticed.

Extraretinal saccadic signals in human LGN and early retinotopic cortex

In the human LGN and V1, saccades in darkness lead to enhanced activity while saccades made during strong visual stimulation suppress activity [Sylvester, R., Haynes, J.D., and Rees, G., 2005. Saccades differentially modulate human LGN and V1 responses in the presence and absence of visual stimulation. Curr. Biol. 15, 37-41]. Here, we explored this differential modulation further using graded changes in the strength of visual stimulation by changing the mean luminance of a flickering visual stimulus. We replicate the finding of differential modulation of activity in human LGN and V1, and show that this relationship also holds in retinotopic areas V2 and V3. Suppression of visually evoked activity during saccades was detectable during strong visual stimulation, but not during weaker stimulation. This suggests that the activation of visual cortex by saccades in darkness represents a signal that persists irrespective of the state of visual stimulation, masking suppressive effects of saccades when visual stimulation is weak. Such a signal may represent a motor signal in a sensory area. We discuss the possible role of oculomotor corollary discharge in changes in visual perception that occur peri-saccadically, which contribute to the successful negation of the disruptive effects of saccades on our seamless visual experience of the world.

Moving concussion care to the next level: The emergence and role of concussion clinics in the UK

Concussion is a worldwide issue in sports medicine at present, and in recent years has evolved into a major consideration for sports in the United Kingdom (UK). Governing bodies, sports clinicians, and indeed athletes themselves are dealing with the implications that this injury brings. In parallel with this, innovative means of managing this condition are emerging. The creation of specialized concussion clinics (which mirror those present in the United States and Canada) is one means of enhancing concussion care in the UK. In this chapter, the emergence of concussion clinics in the UK will be discussed. The specific roles of the multidisciplinary teams working in these clinics will be outlined (including the disciplines of sports medicine, radiology, neurology, physiotherapy, and psychology/psychiatry), and the approaches used in the management of concussion in this setting will be explored. Future recommendations for the growth and development of clinic-based concussion care in the UK will also be discussed.