Recent research has demonstrated that perception and reasoning vary according to the phase of internal bodily signals such as heartbeat. This has been shown by locking the presentation of sensory events to distinct phases of the cardiac cycle. However, task-relevant information is not usually encountered in such a phase-locked manner nor passively accessed, but rather actively sampled at one's own pace. Moreover, if the phase of the cardiac cycle is an important modulator of perception and cognition, as previously proposed, then the way in which we actively sample the world should be similarly modulated by the phase of the cardiac cycle. Here we tested this by coregistration of eye movements and heartbeat signals while participants freely compared differences between two visual arrays. Across three different analyses, we found a significant coupling of saccades, subsequent fixations, and blinks with the cardiac cycle. More eye movements were generated during the systolic phase of the cardiac cycle, which has been reported as the period of maximal effect of the baroreceptors' activity upon cognition. Conversely, more fixations were found during the diastole phase (quiescent baroreceptors). Lastly, more blinks were generated in the later period of the cardiac cycle. These results suggest that interoceptive and exteroceptive processing do adjust to each other; in our case, by sampling the outer environment during quiescent periods of the inner organism.

中文翻译：

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视觉搜索中的主动采样与心动周期相关。

最近的研究表明，感知和推理根据内部身体信号（例如心跳）的相位而变化。通过将感觉事件的呈现锁定在心动周期的不同阶段可以证明这一点。但是，与任务相关的信息通常不会以这种锁相的方式遇到，也不会被动访问，而是以自己的步调主动进行采样。而且，如前所述，如果心动周期的相位是感知和认知的重要调节器，那么我们应通过心动周期的相位来类似地调节我们对世界进行主动采样的方式。在这里，我们通过眼睛运动和心跳信号的共容性测试了这一点，而参与者自由地比较了两个视觉阵列之间的差异。在三种不同的分析中，我们发现扫视与随后的注视之间存在显着耦合，并随心动周期而眨眼。在心动周期的收缩期产生了更多的眼球运动，据报道这是压力感受器的活动对认知产生最大影响的时期。相反，在舒张期（静止的压力感受器）中发现了更多的固定。最后，在心动周期的后期产生了更多的眨眼。这些结果表明，感受性和感受性过程确实相互适应。在我们的案例中，通过在内部有机体的静止时期对外部环境进行采样。据报道，这是压力感受器的活动对认知产生最大影响的时期。相反，在舒张期（静止的压力感受器）中发现了更多的固定。最后，在心动周期的后期产生了更多的眨眼。这些结果表明，感受性和感受性过程确实相互适应。在我们的案例中，通过在内部有机体的静止时期对外部环境进行采样。据报道，这是压力感受器的活动对认知产生最大影响的时期。相反，在舒张期（静止的压力感受器）中发现了更多的固定。最后，在心动周期的后期产生了更多的眨眼。这些结果表明，感受性和感受性过程确实相互适应。在我们的案例中，通过在内部有机体的静止时期对外部环境进行采样。