Processing of eye contact in the subcortical pathway
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Processing of eye contact in the subcortical pathway - testing the fast-track modulation model
IRAS ID
143671
Contact name
Robert Rafal
Contact email
Research summary
The perception of others’ gaze provides crucial information about their attention to the environment. Recent research has suggested that the rapid perception and processing of eye contact is dependent of a visual subcortical pathway. The present study aims to analyse patients with brain lesion in one of the core structures of this pathway (i.e. superior colliculus, pulvinar and amygdala) to search for clinically undetected impairments on eye contact perception.
Patients who are identified, by a consultant neurologist, as having a brain lesion in one of the above core structures, will be invited to participate and asked to give oral and written informed consent.
To precisely define the brain areas that have been injured or that remain intact patients will be asked to undergo an high resolution MRI scan at the Bangor Imaging Unit at Bangor University.
Research will be conducted at the School of Psychology, Bangor University. Patients will be asked to take part in computerized tasks while their brain activity is monitored with the use of an electroencephalogram. The tasks were designed to detect enhanced eye contact processing compared with other gaze directions on a control sample using behavioural and electroencephalographic measures.
Patient results will be compared with age and gender matched controls, and will be analysed, within subjects, for asymmetries between ipsilesional and contralesional visual fields.
Participation will be based on single visits, during less than three hours, and will not require follow up.REC name
Wales REC 5
REC reference
14/WA/1006
Date of REC Opinion
4 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion