Rhythmic brain-behavior coupling in the visuo-motor system: theta-band coherence links saccades and oculomotor brain regions

Rhythmic brain-behavior coupling in the visuo-motor system: theta-band coherence links saccades and oculomotor brain regions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Rhythmic brain-behavior coupling in the visuo-motor system: theta-band coherence links saccades and oculomotor brain regions Yvonne Buschermöhle, Jan-Ole Radecke, Andreas Sprenger, Tim Erdbrügger, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7757022/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract To ensure stable visual perception, the brain requires sensorimotor integration. A propsed top-down predictive model for this integration is the internal forward model, which previously has been suggested to operate rhythmically in the theta frequency band. This study examined how rhythmic brain activity coordinates with eye movements during smooth pursuit. We recorded magnetoencephalography and eye movement data from 22 participants performing a continuous smooth pursuit task. Saccades showed a preferred intersaccadic interval of 150–300 ms, corresponding to the theta band. Coherence analyses revealed significant coupling between eye-movement related measures (target position, eye velocity) and cortical activity in key oculomotor regions. Lateralization of effects varied by eye movement direction. The networks localized by our coherence analysis correspond to those identified in fMRI studies. Furthermore, our findings show low-frequency stimulus-driven cortical activity (0–2 Hz) in sensorimotor areas and saccade-related coherence between the eye velocity signal (theta band) and V5 and parietal activity. Eye velocity also showed alpha-band coherence with brain activity in visual areas, potentially optimizing neural excitability and perception. Together, these results indicate a rhythmic top-down regulation of saccades during pursuit, linked to theta activity in posterior hubs of the oculomotor network. Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Oculomotor system Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Visual system Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Motor control Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files RS336.pdf Reporting Summary Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7757022","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":530156146,"identity":"4b8e51b8-a284-484c-a7e8-3e2453efaf48","order_by":0,"name":"Yvonne Buschermöhle","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABAUlEQVRIie3QsWqDQBzH8TsO7KJmPQloH+HkwFLMwyiCLrZzhoC3ZcyaxxAKzid/cAq4Xqe2dO3QbslQ6Ekh6dBLOna473CD8OF3HkI227/MnQ4azvQpf3wml8iCB+JIyJ9ImbeniQuESW8I9ivAD+qul7iG8GY29q9LlIZm4pdzdwCSqPtM4g747bYg8Q5V3EzcZI4FOImqGXx2kLeKOPrHIBdnSHAQ4PJtzaaVph3h6qBJc45QT5SU0W+SMVk4WJPMdLFA+kXqDgtGd28TqeJWFfrFWRWbVnzp9Y/7FW0265q/4y6N2Ni/fIhlGplWrp+ef7+wCSAUmeZtNpvNduwLhz1YFMVZEhgAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3898-4117","institution":"University of Münster","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yvonne","middleName":"","lastName":"Buschermöhle","suffix":""},{"id":530156147,"identity":"d521c7cd-318b-41fa-8022-2f7bc14ceea0","order_by":1,"name":"Jan-Ole Radecke","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jan-Ole","middleName":"","lastName":"Radecke","suffix":""},{"id":530156148,"identity":"f1e70b9f-3d9b-4903-ad3a-cfda15fd0cb0","order_by":2,"name":"Andreas Sprenger","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9255-7911","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Andreas","middleName":"","lastName":"Sprenger","suffix":""},{"id":530156149,"identity":"9afe6cc5-3e7e-4716-90f5-4dbdb4cf1832","order_by":3,"name":"Tim Erdbrügger","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tim","middleName":"","lastName":"Erdbrügger","suffix":""},{"id":530156150,"identity":"c69362ca-1322-4dc2-9842-b2b226ff1812","order_by":4,"name":"Till Schneider","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8889-6248","institution":"University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Till","middleName":"","lastName":"Schneider","suffix":""},{"id":530156151,"identity":"c63dbac5-e52b-488e-93c7-a8db398436b1","order_by":5,"name":"Rebekka Lencer","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rebekka","middleName":"","lastName":"Lencer","suffix":""},{"id":530156152,"identity":"55f6e766-508c-46b4-af50-91a003ed6a65","order_by":6,"name":"Carsten Wolters","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6233-424X","institution":"University of Münster","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Carsten","middleName":"","lastName":"Wolters","suffix":""},{"id":530156153,"identity":"09618ac7-836f-449f-8b37-68d208da1aa2","order_by":7,"name":"Joachim Gross","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Muenster","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Joachim","middleName":"","lastName":"Gross","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-01 06:50:38","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7757022/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7757022/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":94629511,"identity":"dcb4a12c-8b1b-49b5-bcda-3d28360c5b92","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-29 05:52:37","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":1643431,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7757022/v1/a320f2f744da84c880cfa2a7.pdf"},{"id":94629509,"identity":"e125fc55-ccce-4db1-9792-7a45ba8a23f9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-29 05:52:37","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":9191,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"COMMSBIO259512.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7757022/v1/3bde555eacde8d79d1a40fe1.json"},{"id":94641049,"identity":"85ea8a39-db6c-4493-b054-3672584a1241","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-29 07:50:31","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1390268,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article File","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7757022/v1_covered_bfa012f6-b25c-4678-bd8a-8422b69acbce.pdf"},{"id":94629510,"identity":"536c186e-be11-4a53-97f5-17d87a1f0846","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-29 05:52:37","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":2033737,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Reporting Summary","description":"","filename":"RS336.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7757022/v1/2141bae7044d110d15afbb9f.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Rhythmic brain-behavior coupling in the visuo-motor system: theta-band coherence links saccades and oculomotor brain regions","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7757022/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7757022/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eTo ensure stable visual perception, the brain requires sensorimotor integration. A propsed top-down predictive model for this integration is the internal forward model, which previously has been suggested to operate rhythmically in the theta frequency band. This study examined how rhythmic brain activity coordinates with eye movements during smooth pursuit.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe recorded magnetoencephalography and eye movement data from 22 participants performing a continuous smooth pursuit task. Saccades showed a preferred intersaccadic interval of 150–300 ms, corresponding to the theta band. Coherence analyses revealed significant coupling between eye-movement related measures (target position, eye velocity) and cortical activity in key oculomotor regions. Lateralization of effects varied by eye movement direction.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe networks localized by our coherence analysis correspond to those identified in fMRI studies. Furthermore, our findings show low-frequency stimulus-driven cortical activity (0–2 Hz) in sensorimotor areas and saccade-related coherence between the eye velocity signal (theta band) and V5 and parietal activity. Eye velocity also showed alpha-band coherence with brain activity in visual areas, potentially optimizing neural excitability and perception. Together, these results indicate a rhythmic top-down regulation of saccades during pursuit, linked to theta activity in posterior hubs of the oculomotor network.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Rhythmic brain-behavior coupling in the visuo-motor system: theta-band coherence links saccades and oculomotor brain regions","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-29 05:52:32","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7757022/v1","editorialEvents":[],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"communications-biology","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"commsbio","sideBox":"Learn more about [Communications Biology](http://www.nature.com/commsbio/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Communications Biology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"Communications Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"6a5993e0-9714-401d-933d-5cebcf1eb9e0","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 29th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":56357119,"name":"Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Oculomotor system"},{"id":56357120,"name":"Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Visual system"},{"id":56357121,"name":"Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Motor control"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-10T11:50:37+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-29 05:52:32","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7757022","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7757022","identity":"rs-7757022","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}