Brain decodes gaze direction in milliseconds
Published: Thursday, Jul 4th 2024, 15:40
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The brain recognizes the direction of another person's gaze in milliseconds. Researchers at the University of Geneva have decoded the exact moment when the brain recognizes where someone else is looking.
This could help in the diagnosis or even treatment of Alzheimer's or autism in the future, the University of Geneva announced on Thursday.
According to the researchers, gaze plays a central role in everyday social interactions. The communicative power of a gaze is based on the brain's ability to interpret the gaze direction of others.
For the study, the scientists presented volunteers with 3D avatars, each representing different head and eye directions. The first task was to indicate the direction of the head, the second the direction of the eyes.
140 milliseconds for decryption
As the researchers showed in the study published in the journal "Neuroimage", the brain decodes these two pieces of information independently of each other. After just 20 milliseconds, it knows where the head is facing. After 140 milliseconds, roughly the time it takes to blink an eyelash, the brain has decoded exactly where the eyes are looking.
In people with an autism spectrum disorder, the decoding of this information could be impaired, the researchers wrote. These results therefore made a concrete contribution to the early diagnosis of such disorders in children.
With regard to Alzheimer's, one of the most striking symptoms is the inability to recognize faces, even those of family members. This study therefore paves the way for a better understanding of the neuronal mechanisms involved.
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