SHORT-TERM ADAPTATION OF EYE-MOVEMENTS IN PATIENTS WITH VISUAL HEMIFIELD DEFECTS INDICATES HIGH-LEVEL CONTROL OF HUMAN SCANPATH

In continuation of earlier studies, we recorded gaze movements in pati ents with hemianopic visual field defects primarily due to stroke. Use of high resolution infrared oculography enabled us to record and anal yze a variety of tasks including paradigms of visual search, reading, and scanpath eye movements. The tasks were recorded several times in s equential order. Through these sequences, we observed short-term adapt ation, i.e., training effects of eye movement strategies to improve th e initially deficient result on the side of the blind hemifield with r espect to the relative difficulty of the specific task. This quantitat ive and statistically confirmed finding adds new evidence for the top- down control of the human scanpath even in hemianopic patients.