Skip to main content
Log in

The Broadband-Transient Induced Gamma-Band Response in Scalp EEG Reflects the Execution of Saccades

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Brain Topography Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The contraction of the extra-ocular muscles, during the execution of saccades, produces a strong electric potential in the EEG called the saccadic spike potential (SP). At the frequency spectrum, this SP manifests as a broadband response with most of its power at the gamma-band frequencies. Saccadic activity is known to follow a time-pattern of repression (at around 50–150 ms post stimulus) which is followed by a large increase in saccadic rate at around 200–300 ms post stimulus. Due to this temporal pattern relative to the stimulus, and to the appearance of a SP at each saccade, this increase in saccadic rate shows up after averaging as an increase in gamma-band activity at the time-range of 200–300 ms. Thus, the broadband-transient “induced gamma-band response” frequently reported in the EEG literature, is in fact a “gamma-imposter”, due to ocular myographic activity, and not to neural activity. Previous findings regarding the scalp EEG broadband-transient induced gamma-band response, relating it to neural synchronization and to various cognitive functions should be reevaluated considering the systematic contamination by ocular activity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abadi RV, Gowen E (2004) Characteristics of saccadic intrusions. Vision Res 44:2675–2690

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blinn KA (1955) Focal anterior temporal spikes from external rectus muscle. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 7:299–302

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Engbert R (2006) Microsaccades: a microcosm for research on oculomotor control, attention, and visual perception. Prog Brain Res 154:177–192

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Engbert R, Kliegl R (2003) Microsaccades uncover the orientation of covert attention. Vision Res 43:1035–1045

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gruber T, Muller MM (2005) Oscillatory brain activity dissociates between associative stimulus content in a repetition priming task in the human EEG. Cereb Cortex 15:109–116

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gruber T, Muller MM (2006) Oscillatory brain activity in the human EEG during indirect and direct memory tasks. Brain Res 1097:194–204

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gruber T, Trujillo-Barreto NJ, Giabbiconi CM, Valdes-Sosa PA, Muller MM (2006) Brain electrical tomography (BET) analysis of induced gamma band responses during a simple object recognition task. Neuroimage 29:888–900

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jerbi K, Freyermuth S, Dalal S, Kahane P, Berthoz A, Bertrand O, Lachaux, J-P (2009) Saccade related gamma-band activity in intracerebral EEG: dissociating neural from ocular muscle activity. Brain Topogr, this issue, doi:10.1007/s10548-009-0078-5

  • Michel CM, Murray MM, Lantz G, Gonzalez S, Spinelli L, Grave de Peralta R (2004) EEG source imaging. Clin Neurophysiol 115:2195–2222

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Picton TW, van Roon P, Armilio ML, Berg P, Ille N, Scherg M (2000) Blinks, saccades, extraocular muscles and visual evoked potentials (reply to Verleger). J Psychophysiol 14(4):210–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pope KJ, Fitzgibbon SP, Lewis TW, Whitham EM, Willoughby J (2009) Relation of gamma oscillations in scalp recordings to muscular activity. Brain Topogr, this issue, doi:10.1007/s10548-009-0081-x

  • Reingold EM, Stampe DM (2002) Saccadic inhibition in voluntary and reflexive saccades. J Cogn Neurosci 14:371–388

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Riggs LA, Merton PA, Morton HB (1974) Suppression of visual phosphenes during saccadic eye movements. Vision Res 14:997–1011

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tallon-Baudry C, Bertrand O, Delpuech C, Pernier J (1996) Stimulus specificity of phase-locked and non-phase-locked 40 Hz visual responses in human. J Neurosci 16:4240–4249

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tallon-Baudry C, Bertrand O, Delpuech C, Permier J (1997) Oscillatory gamma-band (30–70 Hz) activity induced by a visual search task in humans. J Neurosci 17:722–734

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thickbroom GW, Mastaglia FL (1985) Presaccadic ‘spike’ potential: investigation of topography and source. Brain Res 339:271–280

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Winterson BJ, Collewijn H (1976) Microsaccades during finely guided visuomotor tasks. Vision Res 16:1387–1390

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuval-Greenberg S, Deouell LY (2007) What you see is not (always) what you hear: induced gamma band responses reflect cross-modal interactions in familiar object recognition. J Neurosci 27:1090–1096

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuval-Greenberg S, Tomer O, Keren AS, Nelken I, Deouell LY (2008) Transient induced gamma-band response in EEG as a manifestation of miniature saccades. Neuron 58:429–441

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

This work was supported by grant 102–08–09 from the National Institute of Psychobiology in Israel, founded by the Charles E. Smith Foundation to LYD. Alon Keren, Orr Tomer and Israel Nelken had major contributions to the original study on which much of this note is based (Yuval-Greenberg et al. 2008).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shlomit Yuval-Greenberg.

Additional information

This article is one of five on the “Special Topic: Discussing Gamma” in issue 22(1) of Brain Topography.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yuval-Greenberg, S., Deouell, L.Y. The Broadband-Transient Induced Gamma-Band Response in Scalp EEG Reflects the Execution of Saccades. Brain Topogr 22, 3–6 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-009-0077-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-009-0077-6

Keywords

Navigation