• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.156-162
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• 1994

Objectives: Eyeblinking varied depending on individual cognitive abilities or personality traits thought to related to brain mechanisms of sensory modulation. This study explored whether personality traits are related to the rate of eye blinks and how eyeblink and evoked potential augumenting-reducing(EPAR) interact Methods: Forty four students were studied with EPAR topography to explore how eyeblinks, personality and EPAR interact The Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale(SSS) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire(EPQ) were used as personality measured by a stimulus response program during EP study. Results: Rate of blink increased as intensity of light increased. The General(GEN), Thrill and Adventure Seeking(TAS), Experience Seeking(ES) and Disinhibition(DS) subscales in SSS and Extraversion-Introversion(E) subscale in EPQ showed significant negative correlations with number of eyeblinks in the hightest intensity of light, whereas Neuroticism(N) subscales in EPQ showed a positive correlation. Correlation between number of eyeblinks with the brightest light and EPAR slope varied topographically. The strongest positive correlation was noted in right posterior temporal area. Conclusion: High sensation seekers blinked significantly fewer times than lower sensation seeker did. Higher personality correlations with eyeblink than with EP may imply that the eyeblink works as a primary filter since it is more directly related to central mechanisms of sensory modulation than EP. The right posterior temporal area may play an important role in modulation of visual stimuli.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.17-28
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• 2012

The primary purpose of this review is to present an overview of relationship between human spontaneous eyeblinking and internal cognitive processes. The second purpose is to address the neural substrates of human eyeblinking based on recent studies focusing on the central dopaminergic system and to explore the significance of spontaneous eyeblinks in neuropsychiatric disorders. We reviewed recent and previous studies on eyeblink patterns under various cognitive tasks. We also reviewed neural substrates of eyeblinking, particularly based on the central dopaminergic system. This paper suggests that spontaneous eyeblinks are highly correlated with various cognitive processes and the activity of central dopaminergic system. Various neuropsychiatric disorders are related to the alteration of the occurrence of eyeblinking. Spontaneous eyeblinking is the unique human behavior that occurs regularly without conscious effort. It is known that the rate of eyeblinking is modulated by internal cognitive processes and dopamine-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Further research is required to how the temporal dynamics of spontaneous eyeblinking is correlated with the disease activity and progression.