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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #195837
Title: ENDOGENOUS EYE BLINKS, ERP CORRELATES OF EARLY SENSORY PROCESSING AND MORNING NUTRITION

Author
item PIVIK, R - ACNC/UALR

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/13/2006
Publication Date: 10/15/2006
Citation: Pivik, R.T. 2006. Endogenous eye blinks, ERP correlates of early sensory processing and morning nutrition [abstract]. Psychophysiology. 40(S):78.

Interpretive Summary: There is reason to think that spontaneous eye blinks not only work to protect and moisten the eyes, but may also help process information. This report shows that, in healthy children, brain responses related to early evaluation of a meaningful visual image are greater if they occur just before a blink than when a blink does not occur. This effect is stronger in children who have eaten breakfast than in those who skipped breakfast, suggesting that morning nutrition improves processing of information.

Technical Abstract: Processes associated with spontaneously occurring eye blinks have been shown to play an active role in information processing and performance. In this report we consider whether a blink-related influence on ERPs reflecting early sensory processing could be shown and if these processes are influenced by morning nutrition. Blink-free (BF) and blink-associated (BA) P200 responses (F3, F4, C3, C4, P3, P4, O1, O2) to the warning stimulus in a cued visual go/no-go (CPT) task from 107 healthy 8- to 10-yr-old preadolescents were recorded first after overnight fasting (BF: n =98; BA: n = 30) and again after having eaten breakfast (BF: n = 50; BA: n = 23) or continuing to fast (BF: n = 50; BA: n = 20). Blinks were determined from vertical EOG recordings (> 150 microvolts; > 150 ms). To avoid blink field potential influences on P200 responses, blink trials only included blinks that began 280-600 ms after stimulus onset. Data were analyzed using ANOVA procedures with post-hoc t-tests. Relative to blink-free P200 responses, those preceding blinks were significantly greater in amplitude at frontal (F3), central (C3, C4) ,and parietal (P3, P4) sites (all p < .01). Compared with children who ate breakfast, those who continued to fast showed a reduction in this effect. These results indicate that endogenous eye blink-associated processes influence early sensory processing and that these effects are modulated by nutritional status.