SLOKA IYENGAR
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Stillness in saccades

5/23/2022

1 Comment

 
Stillness in saccades 
In Episode 2 of Vichaar, we talked about movement in the brain and movement in Bharatanatyam. In the last post, we looked at stillness, and saw that the neural mechanisms of stopping movement are just as complex as those initiating and sustaining movement. 

As a way of providing the contrast between stillness and movement, I would like to talk about saccades. Saccades are quick movements of the eyes between one fixed point to another [1], and are used in Bharatanatyam as a way to provide a nuanced and subtle movement pattern in response to rhythm. I feel that saccades are like lightning bugs - their movement is so subtle and so precise, that if you blink, you miss it!  

In future posts, we will look at how the brain makes saccades possible [2], and how saccadic movements of the eyes can be used to diagnose movement disorders [3]. 
Citations:
  1. Ponmanadiyil R, Woolhouse MH. Eye movements, attention, and expert knowledge in the observation of Bharatanatyam dance. J Eye Mov Res. 2018;11(2):10.16910/jemr.11.2.11. Published 2018 Dec 28. doi:10.16910/jemr.11.2.11. Link here. 
  2. Enderle JD. Neural control of saccades. Prog Brain Res. 2002;140:21-49. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(02)40040-4. PMID: 12508580. Link here. 
  3. Lal V, Truong D. Eye movement abnormalities in movement disorders. Clin Park Relat Disord. 2019 Aug 30;1:54-63. doi: 10.1016/j.prdoa.2019.08.004. PMID: 34316601; PMCID: PMC8288550. Link here. 
1 Comment
Carol A Schachter
5/23/2022 04:12:47 pm

This is a wonderful skill and fun to try and learn. Thank you for another interesting lesson!

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    About Sloka 

    My name is Sloka.  I am a neuroscientist and dancer; you can find more about me here. 

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Last updated: January 27, 2023
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  • About me
    • Profile
    • Service
    • Invited talks and interviews
    • Contact me
  • Science
    • Science consulting
    • Global health >
      • Capacity building in global health >
        • Capacity building through leadership
        • Disaster relief
      • Mental health
      • Aging and palliative care
      • Neurological disorders
    • Clinical science
    • Preclinical science
    • Science advocacy >
      • Advocacy activities
      • ABC newsletters
    • Patient communication and advocacy >
      • Patient communication and advocacy (articles)
    • Science education
    • Publications
    • Awards
    • Continuing education
  • Dance
    • Dance resume >
      • Pictures and videos
      • Community engagement
    • Vichaar >
      • Vichaar: Episode 1 transcript
      • Vichaar: Episode 2 transcript
      • Vichaar: testimonials
    • Bharatanatyam for creative aging >
      • Bharatanatyam for all
      • Bharatanatyam for all: testimonials
      • Bharatanatyam for all: instructional videos
      • Resources for seniors