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Postdoc @ the Rotman Research Institute, Toronto Studying neural oscillations, meaning and memory https://sites.google.com/view/grahamflick

Graham Flick

Here, we asked WHY this memory encoding benefit arises, with the hypothesis that it’s due to a more effective visual sampling process. In other words, that phase-locked saccades lead to better fidelity neural representations of visual content, from which the memories are formed.

Altogether, this suggests that saccade phase-locking leads to more accurate neural representations of visual experiences, which in turn support the formation of veridical episodic memories. Interested in how these processes play out in even more naturalistic visual experiences? Stay tuned!

Using representational similarity analysis time-locked to saccades, we found evidence in support of this hypothesis. When saccades were phase-locked to alpha oscillations, they resulted in higher fidelity neural representations of the images that the eyes landed on, during the fixation.

1mo

Graham Flick

Past research had suggested when saccades are synchronized – or phase-locked – with neural oscillations in the alpha band, the brain more effectively forms memories from visual experiences.

Using combined MEG and eye-tracking, we report new evidence suggesting that when eye movements are phase-locked to alpha oscillations in neural activity, the brain can better process and represent the visual objects that the eyes land on, supporting their encoding in memory.

8mo

1mo

This association was observable between- and within-participants, and the resulting neural representational fidelity, upon the first fixation on an image, predicted participants’ subsequent memory for that stimulus!

Graham Flick

1mo

Pleased to share that our MEG and eye-tracking study of visual memory formation, saccades, & alpha oscillations is now published (as a Featured Article!) in the Journal of Neuroscience! Full paper here: doi.org/10.1523/JNEU... w/ Jed Meltzer @drjenryan.bsky.social @rosannaolsen.bsky.social